Collins takes blame for loss vs. Nets

Coaches have a lot more respect for players who, when they have made a mistake, will tap their chest, signaling to the coach, "my bad."

But this goes two ways, and on Thursday, after an abbreviated practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, one day after they had lost their second overtime game at home in a week, 76ers coach Doug Collins let his players know that he was as much at fault as they were for their 97-90 overtime loss to the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday.

"I felt like last night I did not help our guys out very much offensively," Collins said. "I was searching all night trying to find combinations and I didn't do a very good job with that. As a coach you lay in bed and say, 'What could I have done better?' I just didn't think we had a lot of rhythm in what we were doing, and a big part of that was they dictated that, and I didn't give our team much help last night."

Collins was given an out. It was pointed out that against the Nets the Sixers (12-6) were without a pair of injured 7-footers in starting center Spencer Hawes (left Achilles tendon) and his backup, rookie Nik Vucevic (strained left knee/quadriceps strain).

So what.

"As a coach I'm paid on a nightly basis to help our guys," Collins said. "We played defense well enough to win that game, but I did not give our guys enough help offensively to win that game, especially with our smaller lineup out there. I've got to be better."

Hawes worked out briefly Thursday and, while the Sixers haven't said how soon he will be back after missing six games, it appears that he is closer to being ready than Vucevic, who has missed the last two games.

Reserve forward Thaddeus Young is also ailing, having suffered a lower-back contusion against the Nets. Young should be available Friday night.

On Thursday, the Sixers worked out journeymen Francisco Elson and Dan Gadzuric. The Sixers have two roster spots they can fill. Neither player, however, is likely to be extended a contract. Collins has recently spoken of filling a roster spot mostly to allow the big men to play 3-on-3 after practice.

Because of the lockout, practices on days between games are little more than an opportunity to review the game from the night before and to look at the next day's game in order to guard against injury and to allow the players to recuperate.

Collins said the 76ers, who host Charlotte (3-16) on Friday night, will not have a regular practice again - where they can run the players through sets - until March 6.

This forces Collins and his staff to use shootarounds on the day of games to prepare for the game later on that day.

The Sixers have lost three of their last six games after winning nine of their previous 10, and Collins has said there has been some "slippage" offensively. Much of that is because of not having Hawes, an adept passer, in the lineup.

Collins wants to add more sets to get the team used to playing without Hawes, but the schedule has made this difficult.

"What you are doing here is basically coming in and what you are doing is touching the guys this morning and saying, 'Hey, this is a synopsis of last night. Let's do what we have to do and come in tomorrow for shootaround.' "