Collins embraces professionalism as much as talent
Sixers coach Doug Collins is excited about the new talent that is surrounding him this season, but he's just as impressed with his team character.
Collins embraces professionalism as much as talent
Bob Cooney
There was still 12 seconds on the clock when 76ers coach Doug Collins got up off his huge, blue comfort balancing ball on which he perches himself and called his players together. He had seen enough.
Collins wasn't unhappy though. In fact, he couldn't have been more thrilled. Just before he stopped the practice for the day, the team had perfectly executed a sideline out of bounds play for Nick Young and the sharpshooter drained the three-pointer.
"There was no reason to go on," Collins said after the team's practice Friday at PCOM. "There was nothing better that was going to happen those last 12 seconds so I decided to end things on a good note."
A good note is how his team has ended things quite frequently this preseason. Not just because they posted a 6-1 record in the exhibition games, but because of the positive way they've gone about their business.
"We really have a lot of high-character guys on this team," said Collins. "Jrue Holiday is just a good person, high-quality. Veterans like Jason Richardson and Dorell Wright are true professionals in every sense of the word. Thaddeus Young is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Evan Turner is just fun to be around. Everyone on this team is a pleasure to coach and it brings about a positive atmosphere and makes coaching and playing more enjoyable."
When the Sixers made their offseason moves, they lost on-the-court leader Andre Igudala. Elton Brand wasn't a vocal leader, but his hard work earned him the respect of teammates. Lou Williams was called "the team's personality" by Collins.
All those players are now gone, so the team needs to search for a new identity along with new leadership. Thursday, Collins announced that Richardson, Holiday and Young had been named captains. It was done as much for their playing ability as it was for their high-character. A trait that has become the norm on this team.
"When you have professionals and people with good character it helps you through the bad times," said Turner. "Those losing streaks become shorter. Practices aren't as chippy in the middle of a long season. Things are just better and it's more fun for everyone to be around each other."
Winning brings a good nature around a team. Collins thinks that can work the other way, too.
Chemistry wise I'm curious where Andrew Ruland fits on this team? Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he suppose to be our best player this season?— power808- Jeff Bynum won't hurt the chemistry. After all, every team has guys
that sit on the bench all game long.— blaqjaq - I'll bite, who cares what you two think. Go Sixers— phillyinNJ
- I hate to point this out, but Bynum may not fit. He is not a "character" guy, he's injured again, and this team is on the right track right now. Who's to say he doesn't upset the apple cart? We've all seen this before, and now we're crossing our fingers about him Eagle's style. I hope it doesn't play out that way it would be so awesome, but . . .— EagleEye61
- Uh, more than likely it's you that no longer fits. I hear Miami is accepting applications. — The Pink Floyd
- Could Jeff Ruland do this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPhM1Y8EUdw— leonsantillan
- Excellent response to those two dopes above. Watching Shaq literally grab at air in that clip is priceless. The only reason Shaq slammed in the previous play is due to his usual blatant fouling over Bynum's back. Which further proves that the NBA rules were changed to accomodate Jordan and O'Neal, while they were changed to restrict Wilt. — Bob1
- I don't get the hate toward Bynum, wait till you see this guy in action cause he's gonna shut you up real quick.— The Pink Floyd
- This comment has been deleted. — Dew Schbag
- Wait!?! I'd wait another 10 years for half of those youtube highlights, for half the games (including the long runs in the playoffs. Heck...I'd wait till you had a clue! ...shall we say decades? This guy can be mentioned with Wilt and Moses - in the history of the Sixers. ...Whether he plays here 5 games or 550 games. — justacarpenter
- Sounds like DC wants to coach at Duke...or just get the gig for Chris.— bearsfriend
- Trade Bynum before trade deadline and convert this to a really fast running transition team. Spencer too slow but he runs. JaRich won't press so he has to start. Kwame, gone. But keep the rest. Very interesting indeed. Liked the Ruland but we got Hinton too.— LaCroix,Nolet,Gendron
- RE Trade Bynum: ....sigh — justacarpenter
- So you want us to be golden state? Gotta be a closet Celtics fan, i'd be scared too buddy. — The Pink Floyd
- Marcus wrote this article last week.— Fritz and Alice
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.
