76ers in need of a character check
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76ers in need of a character check
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
It’s kind of hard for me to get this notion out of my head that the 76ers have bailed on coach Doug Collins and tuned him out.
Let’s back up for a minute. Wasn’t this the case when Eddie Jordan was here? Didn’t this team – with virtually the same core of players – start dropping hints that Jordan and his “Princeton offense” were bad fits here?
I wasn’t here then, but that’s how the story has been related to me on numerous occasions.
You know what this really means in the larger scheme of things? It means that whoever the player is that’s casting bad aspersions on Collins’ heavy handed coaching style isn’t bright enough to know that the coach-is-too-hard-on-us card has been used and is no longer in the deck. Jordan wasn’t known as a coach with a heavy hand (in fact, compared to Collins, Jordan’s style could probably be best described as placid).
Their criticism of Jordan was that he was trying to plug a square peg into a round hole. And you know what? Most people who saw that offense and recognized how bad of a match it was will give the Sixers that pass.
Not today, though. If the Sixers are tuning out Collins, this says more about the players’ (whoever the snitch or snitches may be) lack of character and respect for the game than it does anything else.
Think about it? Shouldn’t a general manager about to bestow millions upon a player be allowed to ask any member of this present group the next time his contract comes up whether or not he was a part of the contingent that conspired against Collins as the team tried to win its first Atlantic Division title in a decade?
Sounds like a fair question to me.
What does it say about players who could start 20-9, go 9-18 since, crumple in the face of some adversity and then mail it in because the coach raises his voice a little more than does, say, Miami coach Eric Spoelstra?
And if the above isn’t true, and there is no mutiny in progress, then it means unequivocally that Collins (and please don’t get it twisted; he’s made his mistakes, too) coached up a team of mediocre NBA players early on NOW they are quitting.
In the meantime, here come the New Jersey Nets, winners of six of their last nine games and playing better than your hometown heroes, losers of three in a row and four of the last five.
Well... Doug Collins damage control is starting. I guess we'll see more of these as the season winds down. "It's the players fault" pieces will be in abundance as the losing continues. Never mind that Collins has a history of getting fired because of his negative attitude and micromanaging from his days in Chicago, Detroit, and Washington.
So I guess Grant Hill had character flaws when he wanted Collins canned in Detroit.
No, it's not Collins. Just couldn't be his fault.
No... it's not Collins fault that Meeks plays 25+ minutes even though he's best suited as the 11th man on the bench or the D League to work on his crappy game. Or it couldn't be the fact that DC called Turner a PG, but refuses to use him there, instead settling to have Turner stand in the corner at SG for some unknown reason. Or the fact that DC refuses to play Nik V, Battie, or Lavoy, even though they are as good as that marshmellow at C Spencer Hawes, who Collins acts like can't be replaced. Or the 8 man rotation Collins uses even though in the next breath he'll say his players are tired.
No, it's all on the players. Collins and his idiocy have nothing to do with any of it.... lol— emg2- And Turner's body language is by far the worst on the team.— Bigkahuna3131
- The players, Michael Jordan among them, tuned Collins out in Chicago. The players, squeaky-clean Grant Hill among them, tuned Collins out in Detroit. The players tuned Collins out in Washington. The players are tuning him out in Philly. Unless we want to brand all NBA players as overly sensitive -- Jordan didn't seem overly sensitive to me as he strolled to six NBA titles -- you have to look at the coach. Collins would be a great high school coach, but he can't coach pros.— iceman
- One fundamental issue is starting Jodie Meeks or even putting him on the floor. They should have put Evan out there from day one. I agree they never should have let Speights go. His problem is coaching. He has talent. Collins is overrated. Just look at the way he treats Thaddeus Young. How can you start Iggy over Thaddeus? It seems that Collins has in his head who he wants regardless of talent. That is what frustrates people. Play the best players. He plays Hawes and Iggy. Iggy should be the 9th man off the bench. Goodbye playoffs.— Horlet
- I can never figure out how men, getting paid plenty to play a game, don;t have the gumption to want to win. How come this same team played so well early and now mail it in. Who cares what the coach does. He did the same things when they were leading the division. Don't these guys realize that playoffs mean more money in their pockets? Maybe better contracts? Stop whining and play.
— mike l 
Comment removed.- Character check? They don't need no stinking character check! What they need is a good center and for Williams to stop shooting so much.— erniebanks14
- how do you check "character," when there isn't any?— 2smart4philly
- I don't think the players are tuning out Collins. Rather, I think the players simply aren't that good. They finished around .500 last year and a mangement brought back essentially the same team this year. Guess what? They're going to finish around .500 this year.— nmlawyer
- Karma.. as long as Andre "Droopy Dog" Igoudala is a Sixer, I will never spend one penny of my money to attend a 76ers game or purchase any merchandise. I will not even spend my $$ on products and services advertised on Sixers telecasts. He is the Donovan McNabb of the Sixers-- a DEEPLY unlikeable person with a quiet but surly disposition. When the Sixers rid themselves of that Cancer, then I will start taking my family to see the 76ers play live once more... and not a moment until then.— Ashburn072
- Really good insight, Zeru. That is pretty much what I want to say. ET is fine as he is. Just look at what he did in the three games after the all-star break when he was inserted to the starting lineup. Then look what he has done in the past dozen games after DC tried to make him the player he wanted ET to be. Regugus1963: There is nothing wrong with isolation as long as it is a favorite matchup and a high percentage shot. Go watch how Carmelo single-handed beat Chicago yesterday!— cchere
- Quixote: you are truly on a roll! I noted in a post on another story that my fear is Turner will be made the scapegoat and get traded while the rest of this contingent returns, as everyone rushes to cover their respective tails for what will be yet another .500 season and first round playoff series debacle. I tend to agree with mnlawyer that if you keep playing the same core group of players year in and year out and expect a different result, you are delusional. I also think the Sixers played hard for Collins but their style of defense and offense simply does not work over the long haul without a true interior defender/shotblocker and a true unstoppable scorer, not with teams forcing the Sixers to play halfcourt basketball as the season wears on. Have they tuned out Collins? Hard to say, but likely, given his history of micromanaging. Have his rotations been increasingly bizarre? Sure seems that way. Are he and Thorn on the same page? Does not appear that way. Are wholesale changes needed. Sure looks that way. Will Turner become the scapegoat? My bet is yes.— chuckw
- The Sixers do not need a new coach. What the Sixers need is a new center. Steve Hawes, bless his 7 foot soul, simply does not put out and you cannot tell me that he should have been out of the lineup for so long with his injury. He has all the makings of another Mel Counts and this is not a compliment. As a backup, he is good to go. As a starter who has to trade elbows with the elite of the league, no way. And this is where you begin to create a team. Even so, someone will pay him a hell of a lot of money to be their disappointment next year. The Sixers need to aspire to be league champions and this fellow just does not have the juice. We all wish he did but he does not. When did he ever dunk a ball in anger over another player? Never. No cajones. None at all even though he is tall enough for sure. How many times did Wilt do this or Moses or Caldwell? Many times. They had the juice. So....bid our version of Hank Finkel adios and get someone else to man the post. Vuc? Lavoy? Draft pick? Someone from another team by way of trade? Anything would be better than what is there now.— World
- I can deal with a lack of talent - might not like it but can deal with it. What I cannot deal with is a lack of pride in one's chosen profession. Being from the old school of thought, one was taught to be the very best one could be. A pride of ownership thing. I might get beat but I'm not going down without a fight attitude. I fail to see that pride in this team. No fight,no spirit, no desire for excellence. For individuals making a king's ransom to not take pride in their performance is quite disturbing to the average schmo like myself.— OldCoach
- This team sucks and has done so all year. I don't think anyone who follows the NBA outside of the posters here ever thought the Sixers were a good team.
Iceman: Dude, are you not aware that Abe Pollin fired Jordan and Collins??? That's remedial history that you have to know.
Hey Quixote: Seems to me that Collins was the one who made the comment about the ex writer not being around. Did I miss something?Whatever, that's immaterial for what's going on now. Average talent. Hell, the entire city thinks the only all-star on the roster sucks. if this is so - and it doesn't take a genius to know that it is - looks to me like this really is a bad roster and that the coach isn't the problem. I mean, doesn't that make sense?— Rawkus
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.
