'Nothing' standing between 76ers and Collins

According to a source close to the situation, "nothing" would immediately hold up negotiations between the 76ers and Doug Collins, although it's unlikely a deal will be completed tonight.

As we've reported for the last week, the Sixers have pinpointed Doug Collins as the team's next head coach. According to a source today, that pursuit has escalated to the form of contract negotiations, which is little surprise considering Collins' camp has been kept informed with each step of this process and, recently, has been given the impression that this is Collins' job, that Stefanski has already made the recommendation to owner Ed Snider.

Multiple sources have indicated that Stefanski has not reached out to the other two main candidates: Avery Johnson and Sam Mitchell. Right now, this is Collins' job. If something falls through with negotiations, only then will those other two be brought back into the mix.

For the Sixers and Collins, it's only been a matter of timing: for Collins as he works the Western Conference finals with TNT, and for the Sixers as they navigated the draft lottery and the Flyers' postseason schedule.

Now that timing has arrived.

There might be some concern entering negotiations that money would be an issue. The Sixers still owe Eddie Jordan approximately $6 million over the next two seasons, while Collins, as is common belief, would likely demand a higher price tag than $3 million per. Perhaps money might still come into play, but those close to the situation have indicated that this union -- Sixers and Collins -- is quickly nearly completion.

If you're sick of coach talk and want to talk about that No. 2 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, and what it means for the Sixers, scroll down to the previous post.

--Kate