I must admit, I knew very little about Doug Collins when he first came to Philly. I had heard that he had been the coach of some good teams before they became great. I knew he was a former Sixer. Add those things in with the fact that he was a new breath of fresh air and I was ready to welcome him with open arms.
Then in April of 2011, I found I liked him even more than I knew. Sports Illustrated featured a large article, by Michael Rosenberg, about Collins entitled "Sixer Fixer". The article described a man who had a basketball brain. I'm not talking about knowing the game and understanding it's nuances. I mean the man's right brain was a basketball stat book and his left brain was a constant game film reel replaying games from the past 40 years down to the last detail. It told of a man who calculated the outcome of basketball decisions constantly in the seconds of his life. It told of a man who has been constantly short changed in his sport and was hungry to make something big out of all the knowledge and skill he possessed. Everything from his passion to his drive to his faith intrigued me. It made me say, "this guy is a man to be admired and looked up to." And better than all of that, this man was the coach of my (then impressive and rising) 76ers. What could be better than that?
After reading the article, I began to watch Doug on the sidelines almost as much as I watched Lou Williams and Andre Iguadola. It was amazing to see that despite the pace and intensity of games, you could still see those wheels turning in his head. He didn't always keep his cool, yelling at his players and refs when the need arose, but he always maintained a meticulous evaluation of his team and their situation in that game at that second. He was focused on the current play with a slight thought towards what they would do after it had finished. Not a minute before, not more than 2 or 3 plays later. He kept his mind firmly rooted in what was going on for the team he was coaching at that particular moment.
It was amazing to watch and gave me further affirmation that this was the coach that would make the Sixers relevant again. He was going to take the Sixers deep into the playoffs. You could have sold me a close series against the Heat for Eastern Champs and I would have bought it and been prepared for the finals. I was very hyped for this team like I hadn't been in a long time and it was most thanks to Doug.
In the past few months, however, it seems that he has lost some of that passion that kept him so heavily focused on revolutionizing this team of underachievers. Many people have called for him to be fired along with the GM after the season. Some look at the situation feeling that Collins might be the one asset this team has compared to its players. As I said, he has been fairly polarizing.
In typical cop out fashion, I staked my claim right in the middle. I could see that some things going on on the court were clearly because of a lack of talent from some role players on the team. But I could also see that some issues could be attributed to coaching issues as well. It takes a village to run a basketball team and the head coach has a fairly large share of that village's power. He can't win games for them but he's certainly not blameless.
But this is Doug Collins we're talking about! He brought the Sixers from a 27-55 record to a 40-37 record in one year with very little personnel change on the court. We were on pace for a 53-24 season (and very well could be there if the Bynum situation went a little better). That all has to be good for something. Right?
In the opening anecdote of the SI article, Rosenberg emphasizes the true capabilities of Collins' mind:
Then I listened to tonight's post game interview with Collins. It all seemed like a normal interview until the very end.
http://www.nba.com/sixers/video/2013/03/10/130310collinspostgamemov-2409775
Speaking about Damien Wilkins, a player making his first start for the Sixers this season, Collins said:
Maybe I'm reading too deeply into this. Maybe the SI article overstated Collins' mind or maybe I read something out of it that wasn't there. Maybe he just missed that chain of plays (he was able to recant things better earlier in the same interview). Maybe it's not a big deal at all.
Or maybe, even just a little bit, he's checked out on this season. I wouldn't be surprised. After his huge blow up rant in a post game interview (a game that the Sixers lost against the same Orlando Magic), the exact opposite of what he wanted to happen happened. Nothing. We can argue all day about whether the rant was a smart move or one that hurt the team, but one way or the other he was definitely trying to elicit a particular response and it just didn't come. Fans were outraged. Media took their shots. The players scoffed. And the team hasn't been a bit better. Probably worse.
He's disinterested. Again, I can understand. I'm disinterested too. It's hard to watch this team. He definitely has more of a stake in their winning or losing than I do and he needs to put them into a situation where they can play better and win more. But he doesn't seem to have that same passion or fire that made me so fond of him to begin with. He's not that "fixer" that SI promised me.
On Philly's sports radio station, 97.5 The Fanatic, host, Mike Missanelli, took a caller that said they loved the Collins Blow up because it reflected the fans perspective of the exhaustion of this season. Missanelli argued that he didn't want a fan for coach, and that he should be removed from the game in that sense.
I was on the fence, but now that I see all of this I agree. He's like a fan that's lost his rooting interest. He loves the team just like we all do but he's kind of muddling through. He doesn't seem to have his full heart in it because the team is just so dreadfully bad. We all understand. We're there. He's us. He's exhibiting exactly the way I feel about this team.
If there's one thing I know about myself, it's that I don't want me to be the head coach of the 76ers.
After reading the article, I began to watch Doug on the sidelines almost as much as I watched Lou Williams and Andre Iguadola. It was amazing to see that despite the pace and intensity of games, you could still see those wheels turning in his head. He didn't always keep his cool, yelling at his players and refs when the need arose, but he always maintained a meticulous evaluation of his team and their situation in that game at that second. He was focused on the current play with a slight thought towards what they would do after it had finished. Not a minute before, not more than 2 or 3 plays later. He kept his mind firmly rooted in what was going on for the team he was coaching at that particular moment.
It was amazing to watch and gave me further affirmation that this was the coach that would make the Sixers relevant again. He was going to take the Sixers deep into the playoffs. You could have sold me a close series against the Heat for Eastern Champs and I would have bought it and been prepared for the finals. I was very hyped for this team like I hadn't been in a long time and it was most thanks to Doug.
In the past few months, however, it seems that he has lost some of that passion that kept him so heavily focused on revolutionizing this team of underachievers. Many people have called for him to be fired along with the GM after the season. Some look at the situation feeling that Collins might be the one asset this team has compared to its players. As I said, he has been fairly polarizing.
In typical cop out fashion, I staked my claim right in the middle. I could see that some things going on on the court were clearly because of a lack of talent from some role players on the team. But I could also see that some issues could be attributed to coaching issues as well. It takes a village to run a basketball team and the head coach has a fairly large share of that village's power. He can't win games for them but he's certainly not blameless.
But this is Doug Collins we're talking about! He brought the Sixers from a 27-55 record to a 40-37 record in one year with very little personnel change on the court. We were on pace for a 53-24 season (and very well could be there if the Bynum situation went a little better). That all has to be good for something. Right?
In the opening anecdote of the SI article, Rosenberg emphasizes the true capabilities of Collins' mind:
The 59-year-old Collins has not asked his video coordinator, Monte Shubik, for a copy of a 76ers game all season. At a recent staff meeting one assistant coach mentioned a loss to the Hawks in which Philly guard Lou Williams missed a dunk, triggering an Atlanta rally. "There was 5:14 on the clock," Collins said matter-of-factly, then recited every play that occurred the rest of the game.He literally remember's everything. Every play, every time out, every clock stoppage. No matter the passion or intensity of the game, he keeps his mind on the court right with his players.
Then I listened to tonight's post game interview with Collins. It all seemed like a normal interview until the very end.
http://www.nba.com/sixers/video/2013/03/10/130310collinspostgamemov-2409775
Speaking about Damien Wilkins, a player making his first start for the Sixers this season, Collins said:
"He got a big shot when it was a two point game in the paint, or maybe it was a four point game. I don't know."He didn't know? Learning all that I have, this struck me as very odd. Especially since Wilkins is a new player in their system and open to Collins' overactive evaluation.
Maybe I'm reading too deeply into this. Maybe the SI article overstated Collins' mind or maybe I read something out of it that wasn't there. Maybe he just missed that chain of plays (he was able to recant things better earlier in the same interview). Maybe it's not a big deal at all.
Or maybe, even just a little bit, he's checked out on this season. I wouldn't be surprised. After his huge blow up rant in a post game interview (a game that the Sixers lost against the same Orlando Magic), the exact opposite of what he wanted to happen happened. Nothing. We can argue all day about whether the rant was a smart move or one that hurt the team, but one way or the other he was definitely trying to elicit a particular response and it just didn't come. Fans were outraged. Media took their shots. The players scoffed. And the team hasn't been a bit better. Probably worse.
He's disinterested. Again, I can understand. I'm disinterested too. It's hard to watch this team. He definitely has more of a stake in their winning or losing than I do and he needs to put them into a situation where they can play better and win more. But he doesn't seem to have that same passion or fire that made me so fond of him to begin with. He's not that "fixer" that SI promised me.
On Philly's sports radio station, 97.5 The Fanatic, host, Mike Missanelli, took a caller that said they loved the Collins Blow up because it reflected the fans perspective of the exhaustion of this season. Missanelli argued that he didn't want a fan for coach, and that he should be removed from the game in that sense.
I was on the fence, but now that I see all of this I agree. He's like a fan that's lost his rooting interest. He loves the team just like we all do but he's kind of muddling through. He doesn't seem to have his full heart in it because the team is just so dreadfully bad. We all understand. We're there. He's us. He's exhibiting exactly the way I feel about this team.
If there's one thing I know about myself, it's that I don't want me to be the head coach of the 76ers.
No comments:
Post a Comment