Doug Collins has found himself in the middle of talks concerning a certain vacancy.
The Sixers’ head coach is another name added to a list of candidates for the Team USA head coaching job. That list includes other recognizable names like San Antonio’s Greg Popovich and Boston’s Doc Rivers. Coach Mike Krzyzewski led Team USA to a Gold medal at this summer’s Olympic games, but has said that he is not returning.
In his response, Collins showed the expected graciousness of a respected NBA head coach:
“It’s a tremendous honor that somebody would even throw my name out there,” Collins said. “It’s four years down the road and I understand in this business you hope you are an active coach at the time.”
-As reported by Marc Narducci, Philadelphia Inquirer
As Narducci goes on to mention, there was an assumption that Collins was taking his role with the Sixers’ on a yearly basis, opting to see how things go for the first year or two. So, he’s clearly more comfortable with his current head coaching role.
The great news here for Philadelphia is the fact that Collins is indeed looking to stay with this team for the long haul. But what about his coaching qualifications?
Doug Collins’ coaching career started with a few stints in college basketball. After a few years on the benches of Arizona State and the University of Pennsylvania, Collins found his way into NBA coaching in 1986. He was offered the head coaching position with the Chicago Bulls, taking the helm of a Jordan-led team that couldn’t make the finals during his tenure. In 1989, Collins was replaced by Phil Jackson. What followed were a few years of on-and-off coaching, with Collins hopping between broadcasting for TNT and coaching the Pistons and then the Wizards. The common denominator here was that Collins improved the records of every team he coached, though he didn’t quite take them over the hump in terms of post-season competition.
With the advent of some young talent, keen drafting, and off season acquisitions, Collins has been coaching up a frenzy in Philly. The Sixers bested the Rose-less Chicago Bulls, and managed to put Boston through a test before falling in a 7 game series.
The Sixers recently added Andrew Bynum, drafted a stud in Arnett Moultrie, and took on a host of new off-season acquisitions. Doug Collins has apparently earned the efforts of his players, as they have bought in to the coach’s philosophy. He’s had his problems with egos. In a mini-incident involving Michael Jordan, Doug Collins had called a time out during a play-off game, trying to draw up a play. Jordan allegedly slapped his clipboard down and yelled at him, “give me the f***ing ball!”. Needless to say, Collins did give Jordan “the f***ing ball”. It’s hard to imagine that this sort of thing even applies with today’s Team USA head coaching position. But, it’s interesting enough to note.
Collins may have been the benefactor of a youth movement in Philadelphia, but he’s been a brilliant coach nonetheless, playing an instrumental role in the Sixers’ surprising turnaround.
How this translates when he’s considered for the job remains to be seen. The other names on that list (Popovich, Rivers) are as qualified as any coach in the game.
Mohamed Abdihakim is a journalism student at Florida Atlantic University. He is a Phoenix Suns fan, who is not prepared for the possibility of Nash winning a title in a Lakers jersey. Mohamed is also a contributor at “Les Snobs”. Interests include International basketball, Mad Men , and blues music. Twitter handle: @Abdi_hakim
