It’s still relatively early in the NBA season to be discussing the post-season awards with any kind of alacrity. Sure, fans are chanting “M-V-P!” at Amare Stoudemire in Madison Square Garden, but really, what do they know?
Regardless, with the 76ers checking in with a 24-27 record a week before the All-Star break, the trendy pick for coach of the year is Doug Collins. Considering the Sixers are 21-14 since their slow start to the season, Collins and the gang have done something right. Shoot, Collins could be coach of the year just for getting folks to start talking about the 76ers again.
What will it be like if the Sixers really start winning again?
Anyway, Collins as the NBA coach of the year — yes, it’s premature — is an interesting addition to his resume. Though he coached two different 50-win teams in the past and got to the Eastern Conference Finals with the 1988-89 Bulls, Collins’ clubs have always been seen by most as underachievers. But then again that’s kind of the way it is when a team with Michael Jordan doesn’t win it all.
Still, it was interesting reading Collins’ comments on how things have gone in his return to Philadelphia after the Sixers ripped the Hawks on Tuesday night. Noting that a lot of folks cringed or did a silent full-body dry heave when Collins informed them he was taking the Sixers’ gig, the season has been a rousing success…
So far.
From Shaun Powell and NBA.com:
“Well, I've come full circle, back to the place where I began my career as a player, and now I'm at my final stop as a coach,” he said. “And there's no better place to be than Philadelphia, where they appreciate basketball and deserve a winner. And it's my job and my goal to make that happen.”
He added: “This has gone better than I ever imagined.”
Collins, too, has been better than some had imagined, too. Again, it’s just 51 games with No. 52 coming tonight at the Center against the Magic, but Collins, at 60, could be more mature than his previous stops in the league with the Bulls, Pistons and Wizards. The difference though could be that those teams were expected to win and challenge for the NBA title while the Sixers were (and are) viewed as a work-in-progress.
Collins told Powell he has a better perspective.
“I'm different now, as a person and a coach,” he said. “When I started in Chicago I'd never been a coach before, on any level. I'm more at ease. Look, I'm as competitive as the next person. I want to win badly every time we step on the floor. But I do like to put the foundation in place, to make the team better than what it was when I got it. And this is one of those situations.”
We’ll see where it goes from here, but so far it’s tough not to be impressed by Collins’ work. Perhaps even he can add coach of the year into an impressive resume that includes Olympian, No. 1 draft pick and four-time NBA All-Star.