NBA / May 29, 2008 / 12:55 pm
Doug Collins to be New Bulls Coach
Not sure how we’re feeling about this. Yeah, Doug Collins has coached the Bulls in the past with solid success (he had a young MJ in the mix) but this still feels like it came out of nowhere. We know guys like to play it close to the vest, especially when they’re negotiating deals, but we’ve heard Collins multiple times on game broadcasts say he’s done coaching.
The big question here is how Collins will mesh a team of young, sometimes volatile players. Throw in the No. 1 pick and the whole thing could either spell quick success or, after seeing how it went down when Collins last coached in D.C., a potential mess.
Should the Bulls have gone with a young talent instead of Doug Collins to coach this team?
May 29th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Celts Fan says:
Avery Johnson, Tom Thibedeau, Flip Saunders (if Det. loses, we all know he’s gone,) Jeff Van Gundy. Any of them would be better than this…
May 29th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
I agree
May 29th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
Doug Collins?
Damn. I guess John Paxson will be gone next.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
rob stewart says:
This is absolutely ridiculous. I am currently reading the book:”When Nothing Else Matters” and it gives a list of details of why Collins is not a very good coach. The Bulls will not be relevant until 2013.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Austin Burton says:
The NBA isn’t as bad as the NFL when it comes to recycling old coaches, but the Bulls could have done better than Collins. I thought Avery Johnson would be the best fit.
@rob — Man, I was just about to reference “When Nothing Else Matters,” too.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
shake&bake says:
I was hoping for Mark Jackson. . .Not Doug Collins volume 2. Questionable move with the other talent that’s out there.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
fallinup says:
I’m way up in the air on this one..and Doug accepting a coaching gig now is a surprise. But I guess having a young team that can only go up from last season and the #1 draft pick will “open” you to coaching again. Even if he had at least once proclaimed that he has lost his competitive hunger. Doug does know basketball, and is somewhat known as a teacher. But all in all, I’m not keen on this move when you had Avery Johnson still available.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
YOUNGFED says:
This is just ridiculous. Doug Collins…umm what exactly is on his resume? Why Mark Jackson getting “Black” balled. WTF?
May 29th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
CHEE says:
i would have said jeff van gudy type but that didnt work well for scott skile.
so i would say doc rivers type. he knows how to teach the young kids.. celts use to be youngest team and they werent winning but they were improving and growing up w/ doc’s teaching.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Three Stacks says:
Mike D’antoni
May 29th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Myrie says:
Doug Collins is the type of person/coach that wants a superstar player. He coached MJ; only took the Detroit job because Grant Hill was the ‘next coming’ and only went back to the Wiz because of MJ. If not, he is not willing to coach.
I think he only became interested in the Bulls head coaching job since they won the draft lottery last week.
Would Doug Collins accept the head coaching job in Chicago if the Bulls had the #6 or #7 draft pick? I don’t think so……and that lets you know if a candidate is passionate or not.
Nothing against Collins personally, but we all know the Bulls had better options.
They might do well next season; but no matter what, Doug Collins is NOT the best fit coach.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
daquest?on a.k.a Heavy Artillery says:
wow that was a shocker they should have gone with avery johnson or mark jackson…… i wonder what mark jackson must b thinking right now when two of the teams who were supposedly going to hire him took other ppl out of the blue
May 29th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
YOUNGFED says:
OH HELLZZZZ NO. WTF Dime how yall ain’t gave me a column up in here I just saw the Gee got one, dude is cool so I ain’t gone hate but really I’m the reason half the people post up in here. Thats some bullshit Austin. As many conversation I done sparked up in here yall should be paying me.
“You Gone Pay What You Owe Santa” Riley Esco
One Hunnid
May 29th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
YOUNGFED says:
BTW Big Ups to Gee for the article yesterday, somebody gotta represent while the haters try and hold The YoungFizzle back.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Jeffrey says:
It smells like deja vu. Where’s scottie pippen when you need him? What happened to avery johnson. He’s no chopped liver
May 29th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
DaPro says:
Young your time is coming b,
I’ll be check’n for you and GEE’s blog fam
Back 2 the Bulls…
Doug Collins knows the game well but I think he is a quick fix coach
Use DC, Hubey, Fratello, as a band-aid until the the medics show up
Thats what they do
May 29th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Juanito says:
Bulls fans…hahahahahahaha!
What a horrible move~! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
Your team is screwed!!!!! Even with D Rose!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
May 29th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Naw DaPro I doubt it I probably a lil too real for Dime, I be on some Sheed Ish. (lol)
May 29th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Kobeef says:
Collins sucked when he coached the Wizards. I don’t understand why these old guys keep getting recycled - are there really only 20 guys in the world capable of being an NBA coach? It seems unlikely.
The Bulls should have done their homework and dug-up a good coach instead of buying a name.
Why not look internationally - Mike D came from europe and is one of the best coaches in the game. There have got to be other options.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Prof. TX says:
This looks alot like the Mavs hire. Apparently this is the right time for mediocre coaches to aim for that amazing .500 mark. I’d rather take a chance on a less experienced coach that seems to know what he’s doing (Avery Johnson, Mark Jackson, Tom Thibodeaux) than be certain of only being average.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
karizmatic says:
Doug Collins sucks. This is a terrible decision.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Big Freeze says:
I hear a lot of people throw out Mark Jackson’s name in the possible coaching mix, but what has he done to suggest that he can be successful head coach in the NBA? He was a great point guard for many years, but shouldn’t he become an assistant coach before he jumps right into the head coaching ranks? Just a thought….
Doug Collins will be a decent teacher/mentor for the young Bulls, but he’ll probably be fired after two seasons and replaced with another old white coach with a questionable winning percentage (Collins has a .536 career winning percentage, not bad).
May 29th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Reed Ewing Frazier says:
Doug has good basketball knowledge so maybe the fourth time is a charm. Avery Johnson would have been better for this team. But Mark Jackson c’mon you guys are killing me with that I think you should have some coaching exp(asst or D-league) before you get a NBA head coaching job. But anyway I’m a Knicks fan so F@#K the BULLS!!
KNICKS UP!! all the rest down!!
May 29th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Kudabeen says:
I think Doug Collins will help in the short-term, much like Hubie Brown did for Memphis Grizzles.
Yeah he is a fossil and may not be able to relate on a personal level, but I think Doug Collins is a very intelligent coach and is great strategist. How many times has he predicted the exact outcomes plays before they occur. I have mad respect for him.
If he coaches this young team for 2-3 years they will be better served if they are grooming the next young coach NOW. There has to be an apprentice type setup. When Hubie Brown left Memphis they sort-of leveled off and declined.
I love them bringing in an educator of basketball, not just someone that wears suits and give orders…
May 29th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
hahns says:
ill miss doug collins’ commentary
May 29th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Kudabeen says:
Also I think Mark Jackson would be a good coach, but I think what’s happening in his case is beyond race. While he was one of the best pure point guards ever, he hasn’t ever been in the player/coach role or assistant coach role. Avery, Sam Cassell, Darrell Armstrong, Scott Skiles, are examples of point guards that position themselves into coaching roles… Mark is a great personality and as good a player he was I’m sure he knows the game enough, but there is more to coaching then just playing the game. Is he being denied interviews? If so, that’s wrong, but outside of the Knicks position I don’t think he was that pressed to coach.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
K Dizzle - Pasadena - Laker fan since 1982 says:
Doug Collins? Ain’t that the same as Scott Skiles? High stress dudes, grind on the players and get tuned out?
Nice hire…..Lakers’ll take Avery as an assistant if teams don’t want that
May 29th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Kudabeen says:
I think Doug, after years away and watching the league develop, will have have a much better temperament to coach.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
doc says:
How u know Avery aint turning shit down waiting for Detroit or something.Mark Jackson might be a bum on the sidelines.Doug Collins know the game but they will stink which is good for me.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
DaPro says:
I won’t judge him, I gotta see how this plays out but I know he will get the players to understand the game a little better but I don’t know if the players will respond to him
Regardless, I’ll show luv until given reason otherwise
May 29th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Homeless J says:
It says he talked to them but there isn’t an agreement yet.
Couldn’t it just be a smokescreen to get one of the other coaches who may be sitting around thinking about the job (like Avery Johnson) to hurry up and take it now?
May 29th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
PALakerFan says:
Fuck Mark Jackson! Why is everyone feeling so sorry for him? He hasn’t done shit to deserve such a great job!
Avery or Brian Shaw would’ve been better choices though. Collins will be seen as an old-timer and get tuned out. Paxson blows too! Who the hell said he could run an organization???
Avery in Detroit will be sweet for the Pistons though! Watch Saunders end up in Phoenix.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Three Stacks says:
Collins hasn’t had a good coaching tenure in awhile, maybe one good season with the Pistons about ten years back. Before that, he was MJ’s coach before the rings came.
I dunno if it’s Marv Albert selling him so well, but Collins is money a lotta times with his coaching analysis. There are times when he’s predicted what play the teams would run coming out of timeouts, at the end of quarters and whatnot. Being that informed as an analyst, I think he’d do an okay job as the coach.
Chicago had a bad year, but it was only two seasons ago w/ virtually the same roster that ppl had them going deep in the playoffs. Hinrich had the worst season of his career, and Luol Deng should play better. I bet they make the playoffs next yr, probably a top 4 seed.
Maybe the players tuned him out, but Skiles is a good coach. Even the two yrs before last, the Bulls had horrible starts, there were rumblings of a coaching change, then the Bulls came back and made the postseason. If they just stuck w/ him last yr, they probably woulda made the playoffs. They were only off by a few games, and I bet Skiles over Boylan makes up for those few games.
Chicago and Miami, Eastern Conference Finals ‘09
May 29th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
evan says:
Doug Collins is a brilliant basketball mind and knows the nuances of the game that only a former player can understand. He is a fantastic commentator and analyst, breaking down events a fan won’t even realize are taking place and into a way we all can get. In all likelihood, he is usually the smartest person in the room when it comes to basketball.
All of that being said, he’s been a terrible head coach and it’s for the above reasons. Now he does have a pretty good scenario in terms of the quality of player/person on Chicago’s roster and has the first pick in the draft, but those are Pax’s doing, so far. Collins is too smart for his own good when it comes to dealing with players. I hope it isn’t the case this time as he’s got players looking for a real coach to encourage and grow their talents.
Better scenario than starting with Jordan, Jordan in Washington or getting the boot in Detroit.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
AY says:
I don’t really understand the “go with a young talent” in terms of a coach. Look at the best coaches in the league: philip(62), popovich(59), sloan(66). Collins is 57, he knows all the plays from every system, he’s a good X&O guy, he’s a decent late game manager, I don’t really see why someone would say he’s too old or can’t relate. If he’s a bad ego manager, and from his past experience he seems like he is one, you get a young assistant that has that, and get him to learn the X&O skills from Collins. And they’re hiring him to get the bulls into the playoffs, not to the championship; he’s more than capable to deliver a young team to the playoffs and setup the team to get a great ego/personality manager to take them all the way. Good hire.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Rolf Mao says:
Ahahah this is too funny for anybody not a bulls fan. with all the coaching options out there paxson pulls a move like this… they would’ve gone a lot further next season if they had avery, but now they’ll be lucky to get pwned in the first round.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Three Stacks says:
Avery is much more like Scott Skiles than Doug Collins is. Management probably didn’t wanna risk it.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
godfreyallstar says:
mark jackson would have been pretty good. not a micromanager like an avery johnson(like skiles). would relate to the players well.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
JHov says:
LOL@ YoungFed for that Boondocks reference! I don’t think the Doug Collins Experiment will last longer than 2 years! But I gotta give Collins credit best post game qoute by a coach ever:
“I just told everybody in the huddle to give Michael the ball and get the fu@% out of his way!”
May 29th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Jules says:
You guys write off this hire and we don’t even know what the Bulls roster will look like when he coaches a REAL game. We don’t know who the assistants are going to be. Maybe they will hire younger assts. (Mark Jackson? Tyrone Corbin? Jeff Hornacek?) to relate to the players and be groomed for a head coaching position, maybe in 3-4 yrs when Collins is worn out/wears out the players.
Let’s see who will be coaching with him, who he will be coaching, and how he will coach before we write this off.
Personally, I am thrilled they didn’t hire Avery, there’s got to be a reason he was fired after 3 years…and I would NOT be able to handle hearing his Lollipop Kids voice for 82 games hahaha