Posted: Thursday, May 20, 2010, 8:21 PM | 34 comments |
 

Collins agrees to 4-year deal
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Is Doug Collins the right hire for the 76ers?
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Doug Collins has always said Philadelphia is a ''special place'' for him. Now we know how special. The former 76ers star, according to an NBA source with knowledge of the situation, has agreed to terms to coach them. An announcement is expected Friday, and a formal introduction is likely to come Monday.

A second NBA source said Collins' contract is for four years.

The source indicated that Brian James, an assistant with Collins in Detroit and Washington, will join the Sixers' staff. There is speculation that current Sixers assistant Aaron McKie, who played for Collins in Detroit, is likely to be elevated.

John Langel, Collins' agent, declined to comment.

Collins, 58, is the Sixers' seventh coach since Larry Brown departed.

Collins, one of the best TV analysts, has been working the NBA's Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns.

He played all eight of his injury-plagued career with the Sixers, joining them as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1973 draft. He has previously coached the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards. In each of those situations, in his first season he took the team to at least 10 more more victories than the previous season.

Collins succeeds Eddie Jordan, who was fired after the first leg of a three-year contract.

 
Posted by Phil Jasner @ 8:21 PM  Permalink | 34 comments
34
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:31 PM, 05/20/2010
    That this deal was agreed to so quickly is a good sign that both sides wanted each other. Doug Collins will provide superior technical coaching skills and with firm guidance should get this team playing with enthusiasm again.
    — Rick Wise Guy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:42 PM, 05/20/2010
    Stefanski will regret this move.
    — combocancer1975
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:46 PM, 05/20/2010
    How is he going to regret it? They can't get any worse.
    — way of the jeep
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:52 PM, 05/20/2010
    Hopefully Siffy wont be around to regret this hiring
    — PhillyFever
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:53 PM, 05/20/2010
    Good move by the sixers, they have to improve over last years record.
    — ljb101
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:59 PM, 05/20/2010
    Welcome home Doug. It will be a pleasure watching you put the team together and playing together with smarts.
    — greenflyer
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:02 PM, 05/20/2010
    he should be the GM also, he has alot of garbage on this roster
    — bgwille
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:02 PM, 05/20/2010
    I believe this is a great move by the sixers. Both sides agreed and not many coaches wanted to come coach here. We should give the new coach a chance and not slam dunk the new coach until he's had that chance.
    — Overbrook Runner
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:02 PM, 05/20/2010
    Great move. NBA coaching is about credibility with the highly paid players. Phil Jackson is no genious, but he has credibility and guys buy into his system. These guys grew up watching Collins on TNT. He has a huge advantage over Jordan right there.
    — JonKap
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:05 PM, 05/20/2010
    I heard that Collins likes to designs creative plays as often as he can and that is something to like about him. Other than that, I know nothing about him.
    — sportsdead
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:12 PM, 05/20/2010
    "One of the best TV analysts" ... That is your opinion, and that is something YOU should keep to yourself.
    — PhightinPhil
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:19 PM, 05/20/2010
    Why not interview Celtics and Spurs assistants? Too late. Stanfanski got a man-crush on Collins, his new buddy. Just don't bring Jim Lynman back as an assistant.He is part of the losing atmoshere and needs to retire.
    — 76er
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:21 PM, 05/20/2010
    No more of that ridiculous Princeton offense, that's really all that matters right now.
    — Trend Settaz
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:28 PM, 05/20/2010
    Had Stefanski hired Collins immediately after firing Mo Cheeks, then I would have more faith in his ability to run this franchise. But firing a coach who made the playoffs the year before, giving the job to a front office guy (DiLeo) who hadn't coached in years, followed by picking his friend Jordan over Collins who interviewed last year, doesn't give me any confidence. If Stefanski thought that the disaster that was Eddie Jordan was a better choice last year than Collins, why should we trust him now? And how much of an upgrade is Collins over Mo Cheeks to begin with?
    — mjc1
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:29 PM, 05/20/2010
    I think Collins has the fire and intensity to wake up a team that sometimes goes to sleep and has the credentials as a former aggressive-style of player who will hopefully get the respect that Eddie never seemed to get. I am anxious to see him interviewed and talk about his thoughts on the team. I do think that the success of this team will depend a lot on Jrue holiday next year, they really need him to be a leader on the floor, something they lacked big-time last year after Andre Miller left.
    — srvdove


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About Bob Cooney
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.

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