Doug Collins heads for Chicago: Your move, Suns
May 29th, 2008, 10:06 am · Post a Comment · posted by jerrybrown
If you always thought Doug Collins was a smart basketball man, that opinion should only be bolstered today.
The Valley resident and TNT analyst watched the NBA Lottery last week. He saw the ping pong balls come up roses for the Chicago Bulls – adding superstar point guard Derrick Rose to a young, athletic team that was already playoff-ready with the right man on the bench.
So Collins put down his TV headset – a job that will always be waiting for him when the coaching itch is scratched – and did what Mike D’Antoni could not – he changed his mind about coaching the Bulls.
If D’Antoni had taken the Chicago job, there is a very good chance he could have had Rose as his point guard and Collins – his friend for nearly four decades – as his lead assistant.
And before Phoenix fans blame management for sleeping at the wheel or being cheap when it comes to a contract, know this: Collins didn’t want to coach the Suns. He wasn’t going to coach the Bulls either, until the lottery changed the game.
With Steve Nash’s best years wasted, Shaquille O’Neal in the middle instead of Shawn Marion on the wing and with a championship window barely cracked open at best, even the prospect of staying home wasn’t enough to risk what is likely his last kick at the coaching can.
Collins wasn’t going to be the only guy who coached Michael Jordan and Shaq, who have 10 rings between them, without picking up any jewelry. He chose a team that might be a serious championship contender in a year over one that might be one year past that same status.
The good news for the Suns? They are the only team in the NBA without a coach. The field is now clear. And with D’Antoni in New York and Collins in Chicago, matching those hires on the Richter scale is almost impossible.
There is no need to consider style over substance.
