76ers in need of a character check
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.
76ers in need of a character check
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.
REALITY CHECK FOR SURE--from NBA.com """""""""""""""Zero Team of the Week: Philadelphia (0-4) - The Sixers had a halftime lead in Miami on Tuesday, but it went downhill from there, and they proved Saturday that they’re in worse shape than the Magic, which says a lot.
• Plus-minus Stud: Mike Dunleavy (Bucks) was a plus-49 in four games last week. • Plus-minus Dud: Evan Turner (Sixers) was a minus-62 in four games last week."""""""""""Sorry but not my words— HO HUM- You can't possibly believe the words you put in this article. Even from NY I can see Doug has mismanagement this team. 1) Not keeping Evan at the pt. 2) Keeping Jrue at the pt. 3) Not developing your rookie bigs 4)Giving Meeks time like he's a great player 5) Not getting Sam Young into the game when your team is lacking toughness 6) Going to an 8 man rotation when the Sixers strength is depth and 7) Not adapting or developing - Sixers are to thin of talent to ask them to overcome all these flaws from there coach.— NYC - Philly
- Kick Iggy to the curb.— gho_matt
- Dont put that on the players. The players have done virtually everything that Collins have asked them to do with even a smile on their faces. Nobody has conspired against Collins. Collins own coaching has conspired against him. He is the one that sent one of his only big men to flourish on someone else's team. Promoted a soft center to the starting lineup out of default and has made loyalty to a undersized shooting guard who can do nothing but wait for the ball to get him the "glue" of the team. Nobody was sitting around waiting for the Sixers to fail. They players have done all they could to win. It ultimately came down to Collin's preference of Andre Ig's playmaking over Evan Turner's. The team waiting half the season on Hawes to get healthy for him to ultimately come back and be completely useless. The problem has been coaching decisions not players trying to black ball him or reluctance to play hard. The statistics show that the players have bought into the system particularly defense. Its just that the personell Collins decides to put on the floor doesnt work anymore. His best player is Evan Turner whom it seems like when you mention his name he cringes like a old girlfriend that cheated on him. If anyone needs a character adjustment its the coach. Because bottomline is.. picking out your favorate guys doesnt guarantee wins. It just divides a lockeroom. Which seems to have happened. Just like Chuckw said in another post. Collins reign has a shelf life and the expiration date seems to have come sooner than originally expected. For somebody to point out character flaws in a team full of choirboys and one malcontent (Ig).. just seems off. These kids have done nothing all year but be selfless, and hardworking. Sometimes you just have to tell the truth and say the coach is overwhelmed, out of his league, or way over his head. It is what it is.— Zeru
- Dont put that on the players. The players have done virtually everything that Collins have asked them to do with even a smile on their faces. Nobody has conspired against Collins. Collins own coaching has conspired against him. He is the one that sent one of his only big men to flourish on someone else's team. Promoted a soft center to the starting lineup out of default and has made loyalty to a undersized shooting guard who can do nothing but wait for the ball to get him the "glue" of the team. Nobody was sitting around waiting for the Sixers to fail. They players have done all they could to win. It ultimately came down to Collin's preference of Andre Ig's playmaking over Evan Turner's. The team waiting half the season on Hawes to get healthy for him to ultimately come back and be completely useless. The problem has been coaching decisions not players trying to black ball him or reluctance to play hard. The statistics show that the players have bought into the system particularly defense. Its just that the personell Collins decides to put on the floor doesnt work anymore. His best player is Evan Turner whom it seems like when you mention his name he cringes like a old girlfriend that cheated on him. If anyone needs a character adjustment its the coach. Because bottomline is.. picking out your favorate guys doesnt guarantee wins. It just divides a lockeroom. Which seems to have happened. Just like Chuckw said in another post. Collins reign has a shelf life and the expiration date seems to have come sooner than originally expected. For somebody to point out character flaws in a team full of choirboys and one malcontent (Ig).. just seems off. These kids have done nothing all year but be selfless, and hardworking. Sometimes you just have to tell the truth and say the coach is overwhelmed, out of his league, or way over his head. It is what it is.— Zeru
- Turner should be the point on this team............— eagles2010
- The fact that DC is still tinkering with the line up, has no solid scoring threat (post or outside) and has team leaders (Brand & Iggy) that both may not be back next year; shows the true state of the org. We (myself included) were disillusioned by the early season success but I'm willing to admit that the Atlantic conference and the rest of the east is shaping up as expected. The Sixers will sneak in to the dance and be a 1st rd door mat.— nceagle
- the player who turns the entire team sour is iggy. myself & anyone else who knows bball have been calling for him to go prior to his new deal— main liner
- Turner like to dribble the air out of the ball, watch the shot clock get to like 4 sec. then try to run the offense! The Sixers just do not have the talent -- period! Iggy stinks! He is a 3rd option at best!— ChangeISNeeded
- how people somehow think that evan turner is a point guard is beyond childish....yes he can cover some point guards because he has size, but that's about it. he almost never looks to pass. his tunnel vision is comparable to lou williams. Doug collins is seriously stunting the growth of jrue holiday (far and away our best player, who last year averaged 14 points 6.5 assists 4 boards 1.5 steals, playing more minutes in his second season than he is now in his third season) the sixers were light years better starting meeks instead of turner, as he actually spreads the floor and can shoot the ball from beyond 16 feet, unlike evan turner. u have 2 perimeter players in turner and iggy on the floor who are ineffective shooters (especially in catch and shoot situations) and they both need the ball to be effective. — gabrielallen11
- Snitch, really? This isn't a prison stabbing. It's a coach wearing out his team. And to be clear, the players did not play the coach-is-too-hard-on-us card on Eddie Jordan. They played the coach-is-an-idiot card. And they were right. And if you want to consider the teams history, how about considering Collins' history as well. If you want to make the argument that the players should just shut up and play because they are professionals and millionaires, I'll buy it to a certain extent. But you should at least present the argument within the relevant and accurate historical context.— J.P.Melle
- So because the players tuned out a horrible coach (Jordan) they can't possibly tune out a coach who is better (Collins), but had three (3!) tries at coaching an NBA team before this one, and was tuned out by all three teams? Including such low character NBA guys as Michael Jordan and Grant Hill? You can't believe it? I have tried not to criticize your writing like some of the other posters have, but come on, this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. And your dismissal of snitches, what other journalists call "sources" is very unprofessional on your part. You're supposed to be a protege of Steven A. Smith, a truly great columnist/writer. Time you started acting like it and not pass along this drivel. Sheesh!— mjc1
- Please stop with the Evan Turner comments. Pull your head out of the sand. The only way he ever scores is by isolation and hogging the ball. He does not drive and dish to others. He only drives to create his own shot. That's it. Open your eyes people! And by the way, he has a rotten outside shot... almost as bad as Iggy's.— regulus6633
- how people somehow think that evan turner is a point guard is beyond childish....yes he can cover some point guards because he has size, but that's about it. he almost never looks to pass. his tunnel vision is comparable to lou williams. Doug collins is seriously stunting the growth of jrue holiday (far and away our best player, who last year averaged 14 points 6.5 assists 4 boards 1.5 steals, playing more minutes in his second season than he is now in his third season) the sixers were light years better starting meeks instead of turner, as he actually spreads the floor and can shoot the ball from beyond 16 feet, unlike evan turner. u have 2 perimeter players in turner and iggy on the floor who are ineffective shooters (especially in catch and shoot situations) and they both need the ball to be effective — gabrielallen11
- So because the players tuned out a horrible coach (Jordan) they can't possibly tune out a coach who is better (Collins), but had three (3!) tries at coaching an NBA team before this one, and was tuned out by all three teams? Including such low character NBA guys as Michael Jordan and Grant Hill? You can't believe it? I have tried not to criticize your writing like some of the other posters have, but come on, this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. And your dismissal of snitches, what other journalists call "sources" is very unprofessional on your part. You're supposed to be a protege of Steven A. Smith, a truly great columnist/writer. Time you started acting like it and not pass along this drivel. Sheesh!— mjc1
Keith Pompey has been an Inquirer reporter since September 2004. He takes over the Sixers beat after covering the Temple men’s basketball team for the past three years and Temple football the past two seasons. Pompey also previously covered the Penn and Drexel men’s basketball team and Villanova football team after initially focusing on high school sports.
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh. Follow him on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers or reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
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.
