Doug Collins gets contract extension
The Sixers just announced that head coach Doug Collins agreed to a one-year extension with the team, meaning he will be there for this and next season.
There has never been much doubt about how much the new ownership of the 76ers is enamored with head coach Doug Collins. Monday at the team's practice facility at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, managing owner Josh Harris announced that coach Doug Collins had agreed to a one-year extension on his contract, which was to expire after this season.
"We have Doug for at least two years contractually but hopefully a lot longer than that," said Harris. "Obviously from my point of view and the team's point of view we feel very lucky to have a world class coach like Doug running our team. When you look at the improvement of the Sixers from where he started we've had a lot of success. Like I've said in the past we want to have a world-class organization up and down and it starts with coach Collins. He really delivered for the team, puts his all into the team. I couldn't think of a better leader for our team on and off the court."
In his two seasons at the helm Collins has compiled a 76-72 record, making it to the first round of the playoffs in his first season and taking the team to Game 7 in the conference semifinals last year before falling to the Boston Celtics.
"Josh and I do connect," said Collins. "He allows me to give him my thoughts on things and he sifts through it. I enjoy being with him. I just see what he wants from this organization. He wants to win, he wants to win a championship.
"Philadelphia is incredibly important to me, it's where I started (as a player) in 1973. I've always been a Sixer for life, that's the way I want it to be. I've always told Josh I'll coach this team with my heart and soul as long as he wants me to do that and then somewhere down the road I hope to be able to join in a different capacity. For me it's sort of a circle of life. We're the Sixers. This is a proud organization. Somewhere along the line we've lost that swagger. I know the Celtics and the Lakers have won more championships but this is one of the proudest organizations in the NBA. These fans are tremendous. We wanted to be relevant and at some point we want to be champions."