76ers' Collins expects Allen to play a bigger role

In the two years that Doug Collins has coached the 76ers, rarely has he implored a player to be more aggressive at the offensive end. He did it a few times last season with Jrue Holiday, but by and large Collins wants his players selfless.

This is not, however, the case with Lavoy Allen.

The 6-foot-9 power forward missed two days of training camp last week tending to his girlfriend, who delivered their son, Kai, on Thursday. Shortly after Allen came back and got a good scrimmage under his belt last week, Collins assessed his second-year player.

"He needs to get a bigger ego," Collins said of Allen, who averaged 4.1 points and 4.2 rebounds as a rookie. "That's said in a very positive way. Lavoy can be a double-double kind of guy. You see how well he shoots it. You see how he plays on the boards. He's not intimidated by anyone."

Allen put up those numbers in slightly more than 15 minutes per game. Taken with the 50th pick in the draft last year, Allen saw his playing time increase down the stretch and into the playoffs when the Sixers needed more production from their big men.

During the Sixers' seven-game series with Boston, Collins assigned Allen mostly to guard future Hall of Fame forward/center Kevin Garnett, which he did admirably.

With a new contract in hand - the Sixers signed him to a two-year, $6 million contract over the summer - Allen is viewed as a reserve power forward who can easily step in and start at center or power forward if needed. It is not a stretch to envision him as the team's eventual power forward for years to come.

Collins clearly has high expectations.

"Well, I think he's been one of these guys who has never pushed the envelope," Collins said. "He has never wanted to be the best player, so to speak. He has always been a guy comfortable blending in with his team. He can be really good. He can be an all-defensive player if he wants."