Collins Can't Wait To Get Started
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Collins Can't Wait To Get Started
LEXINGTON, KY -- Doug Collins is always excited by another basketball season but the 76ers coach has even more enthusiasm going into this year.
The Sixers have revamped a unit that took the Boston Celtics to a seventh game in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Obviously the Sixers did get a break when Derrick Rose was injured in the first playoff game against the Chicago Bulls and then later center Joakim Noah was sidelined.
Still, the Sixers won that series and extended a Boston team to the limit. That's a Celtics squad that that took NBA champion Miami to a seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals.
The feeling around the NBA was that the Sixers probably got as far as they could with last year’s roster and apparently the team felt that way as well. That is why the Sixers made so many changes.
Just since that final game with the Celtics, the Sixers are bringing in veterans Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, Jason Richardson, Dorell Wright, Nick Young, and Royal Ivey, and rookie Arnett Moultrie.
Pair that with projected rotation players, Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, Thaddeus Young and Lavoy Allen, and the Sixers appear to be a much deeper team than last year. In Bynum, they have a viable all-star capable of impacting the game at both ends of the court.
It’s not unrealistic to consider the Sixers a top-four team in the Eastern Conference. And Collins is raring to go.
“My mind is always going and I am a crossword puzzle guy, how to solve a puzzle,” Collins said last week during the 1972 U.S. Olympic team reunion in Lexington, Ky. “We have new pieces and I like our pieces.”
Of course Collins also wanted to praise a number of key players who have departed.
“Anytime you change your team you have to give up talent and we lost an incredible professional in Elton Brand,” Collins said. “We lost a tremendous all-star, Olympian and world champion Andre Iguodala. We lost one of the best sixth men in the NBA in Lou Williams and lost a guy who helped us win a lot of games in Jodie Meeks.”
Now the challenge is to mesh all these new players, which makes training camp that much more important this season.
“We think we have added size, we think we have added shooting,” Collins said. “If we have our health I think we can do a lot of things.”
It appears as if one of Collins' most difficult tasks will be to appropriate playing time.
“I like our versatility, I think we can play big, we can play small and I think we have the best low post player in the NBA,” he said obviously referring to Bynum. “The big thing is how quickly we can put it together.”
The season begins with the Oct. 31 opener at the Wells Fargo Center against Iguodala and the Denver Nuggets.
“We have to be ready when the season starts but I think our guys are committed to that,” Collins said. “I am looking forward to it.”
-- Marc Narducci
bearsfriend - Thanks for the info. I honestly didn't hear all that and must have missed wherever he said it about the vets helping the newcomers get used to their new surroundings in September. It would be nice for the team to form a bond before training camp becomes official and I hope the players do something on their own to prepare for the season (sort of like MJ & Pippens summer workouts together). I'd like to see some of the better shooters (JRich, Wright, Jrue, NYoung) work with some who struggle (ET, Thad) but just being around them and getting more open shots should help anyway. I hope Thad doesn't lose any of his critical speed that will be needed now more than ever on fastbreaks.Kerryt - I agree. I've been saying that as well. Inside/Outside is crucial to today's NBA paired with slashers and 3pt shooters to make teams pay for doubling a big like Bynum. There's no reason DC shouldn't have 2 3pt shooters on the floor at all times between Jason Richardson, Dorell Wright, Jrue Holiday, Nick Young and Arnett Moultrie who are all capable of hitting the 3 at a nice percentage. End of game situations where we need a 3 with should go with that lineup with Moultrie playing a stretch center and Wright as an undersized PF and JRich as SF. Having a lineup that every player can hit the 3 at the end of games could be crucial against some of the better teams. (HTML deleted)— joecooler2u- Joecooler2u. Thanks. But those facts are quite obvious. This team, as currently constructed can and should be imposing to other teams. They should play well in the season ( injuries aside) but the most intimidating prospect should be matching up against them in a Series. I see them at about 48 to 50 wins........ then the fun begins— kerryt
- Expanding on my earlier comments. The Team was constructed to create havoc with matchups. Those qualities, should be tough to beat any nite. Let's face it. They will likely win games just secondary to Talent. Games other teams, with less talent wont win. That should be good for about 7 to 10 games. Collins will also out coach others too. That should equate to 10 to 13 wins. That is why i project 48 to 50 during the season. This teams real charm will be manifested come Playoff time. Matchup, at that point will be paramount. And that's when we will see the Brillance and Vision of why Collins assembled this Cast. That, will be the moment when philly fans will be smiling and smirking as Rivers and Thibedeau, and other coaches are stressed out trying to contend with the matchups. Here me well my philly friends....... Season will be nice and interesting, but the playoffs will be a thing worth savoring. Bon apetite— kerryt
- this is awesome! it came out about 10 days ago, but for some reason I just heard it now:
Doug collins recalling a phone call with doc rivers:
Doc: "The only low post center in the nba that I really worry about is Bynum"
Doug: I was ready to choke when he said that...I was thinking "Hey Doc, we're going to get him tomorrow"...
Hahahaha this has to make you smile as a sixer fan! pure unadulterated awesomeness— johnGiam - @johngiam. Where did you get that info about that phone conversation between Collins and Rivers? I want to go readt it too. Sweet, Sweet, Justice. We, the Sixers are the only team that can take out the Heat in a playoff series. To beat them you have to be strong in the middle and offensive in the middle. But having middle strenght you also have to have competent outside shooting. We, are the only Eastern conference team that has a wealth of both.— kerryt
- kerry: CSNPhilly.com seems to have something everyday, including lapdog insight from Dei Lynam (she has ditched holding on to Iggy's leg, and is now latching on to ET)...Seems like they're getting the jump on Philly.com, but I know Cooney and Mitchell will be breaking out of their coma any day now (like Steven Segall in "Hard to Kill")...and get busy...And if not, the beat goes to Quixote. (would love those PC's) — bearsfriend
- Pls click this link thanks. a lot http://incomepart.com/ref.php?page=act/ref&invcod=77559— Wolverine42
- Thanks Bearsfriend. Read a ET article by Dei Lyman. She seems to be a fan of ET. But, you know i also see a lot of positives with Turner. I think this year we'll see the true growth of ET. I also believe his improvement is paramount to the teams climb to the NBA upper ranks. I see 13 to 15 ppg. 6 to 8 rpg. 3 to 5 asst. With those numbers the team will thrive. So my opinion is Turner's under a lot of pressure to deliver this year and think he will be up to that task. Bearsfriend, johngiam, joecooler2u. Have you guys seen the youtube videos on Arnett Moultrie? The guy seems to have incredible outside range shooting. I say that because someone listed him as a potential three point threat.— kerryt
- Bear: that Lynam "interview" with ET was as lame as could be, although her column was slightly better. Turner gave all the cliches possible and she never talked to him about his summer regimen or which position he believed he would play, focusing more on that silly outfit he was wearing. Some posters ripped her for being a hypocrite, given her dislike of Turner last season and love of Iguodala, and now showing the love for ET. On the other hand, at least she interviewed one of the players. Are you sure Mitchell and Cooney are still employed full-time or have they become stringers?— chuckw
- Funny thing is that interview was done two weeks ago, as I saw it then on SportsNite on CSN (I remember that jacket)...Dei Lynam knows what she's watching, and can write, but she's a shill to the NTH degree,IMO...Regarding the lack of coverage, I do believe it's editorial mishaps, as well as long vacations before the grind of a regular season...They believe that it's all Phillies/Eagles right now (and it is), but basic snips from conversations with each player/coach,GM search,rule changes....lots of stuff to keep the hoop heads busy.....How bout the Phillies today after that hangover?..Cloyd knows what he's doing out there.I'm thinking he can be tough first time around, and maybe more than "serviceable" — bearsfriend
- Hi Bear: I fear I am on a roll on the Phillies site tonight, perhaps not completely to your satisfaction (at least regarding Charlie), but I really like what I have seen from Cloyd once he settled down in the Mets game and today. Nothing like command of all your pitches (and a good ump). I think even more significant is Aumont; Ruben needs to justify that Lee trade and has to be nervous about Papelbon, a conjunction of two issues that might lead to a new closer sooner rather than later. — chuckw
- Hell ya I'm excited. Bynum is the first legit center the Sixers have had in about 30 years. Hopefully he can stay healthy.— Jangocat
- I view the current team as a rudder-less ship no longer relying on it's transition game to define it's style of play. With the increase in size and physicality comes a corresponding slow footedness crying out to slow the game down and become a half-court team. This style of play goes counter to the way we watched Thad, Jrue and Evan play their slashing game to the basket. It seems that these three are going to be lost learning how to play the low post game with picks and rolls and low-post screens. I think it's going to take Jason Richardson running the offense like he did with Dwight Howard for the early part of next season to develop a style of play that others can adjust their play.to. I don't see the Sixers being all that successful in the early going. It's hard to picture either Jrue or Turner adapting to the slow down game.— fafink
- Malik Wayns will get his minutes. As a Villanova fan, I knew he could play. He is a good back up PG. Small but lighting fast. He could change the tempo of the game and give you that spark.
Young's game won't benefit from these trades. But with his athletic ability, he could make some adjustment and play SF.
Hawes, ET, Bynum, Brown, Richardson, Wright, and most of the Sixers will probably have a good year.— cchere - ...SHUT THE LIGHTS OFF ...You're wasting precious energy!!— Mortimer G Fingenfinderstein III
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
