Doug Collins

Sam Smith

The Bulls Tuesday signed a former four-time All-Star with a great shooting touch and unparalleled basketball knowledge.

Yes, he’s 66 years old. But the foundation, which is out of sight, does support the strength that makes up any final edifice. The Bulls hope to construct a towering new model of excellence. They believe they have added a rock who will support the structure.

“As I got older, I wanted to end my career like this,” said onetime Bulls coach Doug Collins, who is returning to the organization as a senior advisor. “Being in a position where I can be a mentor, an older guy who has seen it all, the highs and the lows. What I’ve always said about the game is that it’s given me the greatest of highs and it’s also broken my heart. But yet at age 66, I stand here and I’ve never loved it more.

“I’m old,” Collins quipped during a media briefing in the Bulls’ Advocate Center. “But I’m not old school. I have a young brain. You get pigeon holed because they say that guy is old school because he’s old. If being on time and working hard and all those things are old school then, yes, I’m old school. But I will match my wits with anybody in terms of young people and what’s going on now and what’s happening. I am woke.”

Being older than Doug, I wasn’t fully sure what that meant.

But I do know that having Doug Collins around means that you better be awake all the time.

Because few who ever have been in basketball combine more energy with passion, enthusiasm and intellectual challenge.

Collins can’t score any baskets for the new, rebuilding Bulls. Nor can he stop anyone from doing so. But as an advisor to the coaching staff, management and front office he will bring both his wisdom for the game, his eye for talent, his genius for strategy and his big city spirit from his own humble beginnings in rural, southern Illinois.

Excellence in sports is about the talent in the game.

But Collins can also help in supporting the people who are seeking the talent and putting it in position to succeed.

He’s done it, seen it, managed it and analyzed it. Who better to consult?

“The more we kind of dug into the prospects of this and what it means, the more we kept asking ourselves, ‘Why wouldn't we do this?’” offered Bulls vice president John Paxson, to whom Collins will report. “Here’s a guy that has great respect around the league, one of the brightest minds in all of basketball. He's got 40-plus years of experience, not just from a coaching perspective, but he's seen it all, been in different organizations and different types of situations. So we kind of delved into it and we just kept saying, ‘Why wouldn't we do something like this to enhance our organization?’

“Doug will not be coaching, Doug will not be a decision-maker,” Paxson emphasized. “None of our roles have changed. Fred's (Hoiberg) our coach. Fred's had a phenomenal summer with our young players in this building. We’re excited about what is going on there. Gar Forman and I continue to be at the forefront of this organization. We view (Collins) as kind of an internal advisor, where he's not going to be a spokesperson for the organization. He is well versed in so many aspects of this game of professional basketball: Front office, coaching, the decisions that have to be made with trades. His wealth of knowledge and his wisdom are going to be a huge asset for us. How we view it is: What a great resource for our entire organization to have and be able to pick his brain. This is obviously a great day for the Bulls organization.”

No change; merely, an addition. It is generally better to have more.

Collins is not in line to be the next coach or interim, an assistant general manager or executive of any sort. Perhaps sell a few tickets? OK, maybe, but Collins also made it clear as he closes in on his seventh decade he has too many other priorities with five grandchildren, his son coaching Northwestern, his son-in-law a coach in Pennsylvania. Enough with chasing all over the NBA winter.

But just in case anyone was still wondering, well, there’s a reason they give the full social security at 66.

“One of the things we talked about when Jerry and Michael (Reinsdorfs) and I were together at dinner one night was the first thing that must be known is that under no circumstances am I going to coach here,” said Collins. “That should not even be a question. I know there’s still going to be people who go, ‘Yeah, sure. How many times did this guy retire and come back?’ That kind of stuff. So I get that. But I’m not going to coach. I’m not going to give up my life. The hours and the time commitment that Fred Hoiberg puts in a day and the energy that he spends and being on the road and being away from his family, I’m not going to miss any Northwestern games, and I’ve got a son-in-law who coaches outside Philadelphia at a high school. I’m going to be there. I’m not going to miss that. It worked perfectly in my schedule when I talked to Pax that I could be a part of something special, the Chicago Bulls, and I love the Chicago Bulls."

“This is a behind-the-scenes role,” insisted Collins, “much different than when you’re Fred Hoiberg and you’re standing down on the court and in the firing line every single day: You’re who everybody sees. This is a behind the scenes job for me. I’m not going to be spokesperson; I’m not going to be doing interviews.”

But Collins will be talking, which is fine with the Bulls.

Because a 30-win Bulls team improved to 50 wins by his second season coaching, Pistons and Wizards teams added 18 wins in his first seasons coaching them; his inaugural 76ers where he started his playing career were 14 wins better the first season he coached. Collins knows this is different; not only with his less active role, but where the Bulls are now compared with previous seasons. There are going to be a lot more losses this season than last; than really every season since 2004. But Collins also knows it’s the right time for the Bulls and he wants to be there—in part in longtime appreciation for the Bulls giving him his first head coaching job—to help see the franchise again built upward.

“The moment they probably started to slide was the day Derrick Rose tore up his knee against us in Game 1 of the playoffs (against Collins eighth seeded 76ers in 2012). That moment when Derrick was never that player again,” Collins noted. “In the NBA, you win with special players, difference makers. You get the right people around them that can play the way the game is played today with spreading the floor and three-point shooting and being able to defend. My perception reading the last couple of years is it’s been a little bit of a piñata (for the organization). They’ve taken a lot of hits.

“I’m going to put my arm around Fred and Gar and Pax and say, ‘Let’s get that excitement and joy back with the Chicago Bulls,’” said Collins. “Just look at how quickly it changed with the (White) Sox. Rick Hahn makes three deals and they have the best young group in the minor league and now all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Man, the Sox are going to be great.’ That’s how quick perception changes. You do your job and do it right and make some good decisions and then you’ve got to get lucky. When they got Derrick Rose, it was a 1.7 percent(lottery) chance to get him. That’s part of the business. And then you have to stay healthy. I will tell you: The Bulls, this organization, I think is an amazing organization. I think Jerry Reinsdorf and Michael and being around them the one night, I know they want this to be special again. And I hope in some little way, my way of saying thank you to Jerry for hiring me a long time ago and Pax for playing his tail off for me for three years ,is maybe I can give a little back to them at this stage of my life.”

Collins said he is giving up his ESPN broadcasting duties and as now an NBA team employee can no longer have contact with Northwestern players.

But he’s ready for yet another new challenge, a big one certainly, but hardly more than being a six foot, 135 pound backup on his small town Illinois high school team on the way to being an Olympian and first player selected in the NBA draft.

“I didn’t win any championships,” Collins acknowledged, though he twice was in the NBA Finals as a player with the 76ers. “But I walk around this city and the love the people have always shown me has been really amazing. It’s almost like I’d been the one that won them.”

It’s been six Bulls championships since Collins was replaced by Phil Jackson in 1989, seven head coaches and two interims, working on a third rebuilding, five subsequent All-Stars, a league MVP, an executive of the year and one very, very bad knee injury. But these things happen in the NBA. The Lakers are going through several years among the poorest teams in the NBA; the Celtics did for almost two decades, the Knicks for four.

“My history, if you want to look back on it, when I went to the 76ers, they were 9-73. They were the worst team in the history of professional basketball,” said Collins. “Four years later, we were playing for a world championship. See how things quickly change? The NBA is cyclical now. Other than the San Antonio Spurs, over the last 20 years every elite franchise has gone through this moment. Now you’ve got to dig yourself back up. We’ve got to start doing all the things that are necessary to gain assets day by day, to put in all the work so we’re going to give ourselves a chance. When we get better players and more talent, you’re going to win more basketball games. I’m not going to be down on the court. I’m going to be sitting up in the stands somewhere. It’s Fred’s team. I’m not going to get in the way of that at all. He’s the coach of this team and it’s going to be a very interesting team. I think absolutely I can help. It’s hard for me to sit up here and put this into what is the definition of your job. Because I think it’s going to be a lot of different things. But the one thing I want is to be an asset for this organization, to provoke thought. It’s an answer to prayers in a lot of ways. I’m a mentor. That’s when I’m at my best.

“At 66,” said Collins, “I feel I’m continuing to grow. I think back on a guy named Johnny Bach, what he meant in my life. He started out with me as an assistant coach with the Olympics and went everywhere I ever went as a pro coach. His wisdom and what he brought at the age of 66 when I was coaching, I’m hoping I can pay a little of that back. Johnny Bach’s great line (for an assistant/mentor) was to be brief and be seated.”

Those who know Collins doubt that; which is the good thing for the Bulls.

doug-collins-an-addition-for-the-vision

Doug Collins, An Addition For The Vision

Bulls.com

Guess who’s joining the Bulls? No, guess.

No, not him. No, not her. You’ll never guess. Give up?

Nearly thirty years after being replaced as Bulls coach after leading the team to its first conference finals appearance in 14 years, Collins is returning to the organization as Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations.

With actually plenty of precedent, both in this era of the NBA and in Bulls history.

Collins will serve as a mentor/consultant/advisor to all facets of the Bulls organization, the coaching staff and management as well as sponsorship and marketing.

It’s a tribute to Collins’ lifetime in basketball as an Olympian, four-time All-Star player, coach with more than 400 NBA wins for four teams, team executive and broadcaster who was honored by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Collins will create a new role in the Bulls organization with his wide variety of skills and knowledge. Collins also will be a player/coach/management advisor in the model of former NBA greats like Jerry West, now with the Clippers, Wayne Embry with the Toronto Raptors and Rod Thorn now with the Milwaukee Bucks.

But before you ask, no, it’s not to—ever—have a full time coaching, management or executive position with the organization. Collins gave up his current role as an ESPN analyst to get back not only to the give and take of basketball, but to help the rebuilding of the Bulls organization. Collins has remained close over the years with Bulls managing partner Jerry Reinsdorf and maintains a residence in Chicago with son Chris coaching basketball at Northwestern. In his new role, Doug Collins will no longer work with or have contact with Northwestern players.

So before you ask, no, Doug isn’t going to be a coach in waiting or executive in waiting. Or managing partner in waiting, or....

Not even if Mitch Trubisky says it’s time.

If every member of the Bulls organization won the Powerball lottery jackpot and resigned the same day, Collins would not be in consideration for any fulltime position. Collins, now 66, made it clear to Bulls management he is finished being a fulltime coach or team executive.

But having someone on staff of Collins’ reputation, depth of basketball knowledge and experience is potentially a major boost to the team’s rebuilding efforts.

There have been better players and more successful executives. But perhaps no one in the history of the game more than Collins can claim a greater level of success, sophistication and depth of experience. That Collins is willing to again work for the Bulls is a testament to his character and an unusually valuable resource in the team’s plans for moving forward.

Collins has experienced a spectacular career in basketball from such humble beginnings, a small town Southern Illinois kid who attended Illinois State when it wasn’t a Division 1 university. He was an academic all-American and is in the GTE Academic Hall of Fame. And then was on the verge of being an Olympic hero in the tragic 1972 games. Collins converted what should have been the gold medal winning free throws in the final game over Russia before officials continued to replay the closing seconds until the Russians could win. The U.S. players never accepted their silver medals.

Collins went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 1973 NBA draft for the Philadelphia 76ers, coming off an all-time worst 9-73 record. The 76ers improved by 16 games in Collins’ rookie season and four years later were in the NBA Finals.

Collins is one of the premier franchise turnaround experts in NBA history, which undoubtedly was among the appeals to the Bulls in going through their own hopeful turnaround.

In Collins’ first season coaching the Bulls in 1986-87, they won 10 more games than the previous season. When Collins later coached the Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards, each won 18 more games than the previous season in the first seasons under Collins. In his first season coaching the 76ers in 2010-11, the team won 14 more games than the previous season and in his second season the 76ers made the conference semifinals for the first time in nine years.

Collins also was the effective general manager of the Pistons when he was coach and was instrumental in both the immediate success with 100 wins in his first two seasons coaching, but also deftly creating salary cap space for free agent acquisitions after his departure.

The wiry 6-6 Collins was a four-time NBA All-Star shooting guard with the 76ers in an eight-year career cut short by foot and knee injuries. Collins averaged 17.9 points for his career, but was a clutch player who averaged more than 21 points per game in 32 playoff games. He also was a career 50 percent shooter who raised that to 53 percent in the playoffs while helping the 76ers to the NBA Finals in 1977 and 1980. He had retired by the time they won in 1983.

Collins was doing some part time coaching at Arizona State and mostly TV work when Krause spotted him and brought him to the Bulls as head coach in 1986 when Collins was just 35 years old. The Bulls improved by 10 games in each of Collins first two seasons coaching, winning 50 games in 1987-88 for the first time since 1973-74 and then making the conference finals in 1988-89 and losing in six games to the eventual champion Pistons.

Internal issues led to a change with Phil Jackson taking over as head coach in 1989-90. The Bulls went on to win six titles in the 1990s, but Reinsdorf never forgot what he called Collins setting the Bulls on the right path. Reinsdorf presented Collins championship watches after each of the titles.

As Collins did in reuniting with Michael Jordan when Jordan returned to play basketball for the Wizards in 2001, Collins returns to the organization that he first parted with as coach but with which he always has remained connected. Bulls executive vice president John Paxson long has sought out Collins for guidance.

Collins got back into NBA coaching in 1995, six years after departing the Bulls. By his second season in Detroit, he had the Pistons on the way to 54 wins and he was coach of the Eastern Conference team at the All-Star game. Collins also was the top basketball executive and then became one of the elite basketball analysts for NBC and TNT around that stint coaching the Wizards. The Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 honored Collins for his broadcasting excellence. Collins also was the primary analyst for NBC for several Olympics and long an informal advisor to many players who have sought him out over the years.

But Collins love for the game often was unfulfilled merely watching and commenting. He’s always been someone to help produce results. The Bulls are counting on his voice in the background in helping point them in the right direction: Back to the top.

collins-returns-to-the-bulls

Collins returns to the Bulls

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has hired Doug Collins as a Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations. In his new role with the club, Collins will report to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson.

One of the most respected figures in all of basketball, Collins returns to the Bulls with more than 40 years of experience in the NBA. In this capacity, he will serve as an expert resource for the front office and coaching staff.

“Doug will be great in this capacity for our organization. The position of ‘senior advisor’ has proven to work well around the NBA in recent years, and I am confident the same will hold true with the Bulls,” said Chicago Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “The fact that our relationship goes back more than 30 years certainly helps, but he is especially qualified to assist our leadership in rebuilding the Bulls.”

“People who know me know the respect that I have for Jerry, Michael, and the Chicago Bulls organization. I am looking forward to getting started and helping everyone,” said Collins. “To be able to stay involved in the NBA and work with John, Gar, Fred and their respective staffs, while not having to leave my family and continuing to live in one of the greatest cities in the world—the fit couldn't be any better for me at this point in my life.”

Following a standout collegiate career at Illinois State, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Collins with the first overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft. He played eight seasons with the Sixers and was a four-time NBA All-Star before his career was cut short due to injuries. In 1986, Collins was named head coach of the Bulls, a position he held for three seasons. He also has been head coach for the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and 76ers.

“We are pleased to have Doug return to the Bulls and have him join our front office. As our organization transitions into this next phase, we feel like Doug will bring valuable perspective with his vast knowledge of the NBA and the game of basketball,” said Paxson. “His enthusiasm and expertise make this a great fit for the Bulls. As an advisor, he will regularly contribute observations, insights and suggestions, and he will be part of conversations throughout this building. I know from talking to Doug he is excited to join us at this time, and we look forward to tapping into his experience to help improve this team.”

Collins has also enjoyed success as a broadcaster. Regarded as one of the best analysts in basketball, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Media Wing in 2009. In recognition of his work in broadcasting, he has earned four Emmy Award nominations and two Cable ACE Awards. Most recently, he spent the last four seasons as an NBA game analyst for ABC and ESPN. He also contributed as a studio analyst on ESPN’s NBA Countdown.

The 66-year-old Collins and his wife, Kathy, have two children, Chris and Kelly, and five grandchildren.

bulls-name-doug-collins-senior-advisor

Bulls name Doug Collins Senior Advisor

This was how I wrote it that day 28 years ago on a sunny afternoon—at least for the Bulls—in Richfield, a rural village about 30 miles south of Cleveland known essentially for the coliseum where the Cleveland Cavaliers played.

It was the game that was the starters' pistol shot that began the Bulls race toward six NBA championships in eight seasons in the 1990s.

"There were more famous shots, ones that started wars and revolutions. This one Sunday by Michael Jordan merely ended a game. But, oh, what a game!

"It will linger in the memory longer than the 101-100 final score that sent the Bulls into the best-of-seven second round playoff series against the New York Knicks starting Tuesday in New York.

"The Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers exchanged leads nine times in the last three minutes of a game that couldn't have been approved by the American Medical Association. It was decided when Jordan hit a pulse pounding, "I-don't-believe-it 15 foot jumper from just outside the foul line at the final buzzer.

"Jordan's winner, giving him 44 points, came three seconds after Cleveland had gone up by one.

"This is probably the biggest shot I've hit in the NBA, mainly because I put my credibility on the line," said Jordan, who had predicted a Bulls advance in four games and then failed on two last minute chances to do just that Friday night.

"I thought we could beat this team, but when we lost Friday after I missed the free throw and last shot it was the lowest I ever felt in basketball. Like when I was cut from my high school team. I was disappointed in myself and there were tears in my eyes.

"But Sunday after 57 regular season victories and the home court edge in this series, it was the young Cavaliers who were crying.

"I just can't believe he made that shot," said Brad Daugherty, shaking his head in a deathly quiet Cleveland locker room. "We did everything right. I just can't believe it."

Well, not quite everything. It was a spectacular finish with a Jordan pullup from the right side giving the Bulls a one-point lead with six seconds left. Then the Bulls blew the Cavs inbounds play when Craig Ehlo inbounded to Larry Nance. Brad Sellers failed to switch and Bill Cartwright stayed back to seal Brad Daugherty as Ehlo took the handoff for the layup and lead with three seconds left. And then Nance with his back to the inbounder lost Jordan in what was supposed to be a double team to deny Jordan. Sellers got the ball in at the last tick and Jordan made "the Shot."

I remember looking at Cavs general manager Wayne Embry, inching back in the corridor that led back to the locker rooms. I asked him later what was he doing. He said, "I knew we gave him too much time."

My personal favorite moment from one of the most amazing last minutes of play ever was Jordan stopping in front of the writers, myself, Kent McDill and Lacy Banks, sitting next to the Bulls bench before the game. We had much better seats then. Jordan taunted us all about how we'd all picked the Cavs to win the series. After all, they were 6-0 against the Bulls that season. Magic Johnson that season called the Cavs the East's Team of the 90s. Jordan said the Bulls would take care of all our predictions that afternoon.

Like Jordan said, he was devastated about that Game 4 overtime loss Friday night in Chicago Stadium. He'd scored 50 points with his teammates basically throwing the ball back to him like it was on fire. But he missed two of four free throws and a jumper at the end of regulation for the win. Daugherty then made two clutch free throws in overtime for the winner.

That was, believe it or not, the prevailing attitude in Chicago back then. Like having Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus for the Bears or Ernie Banks and Billy Williams for the Cubs; Chicago teams aren't winning anything. Here was another famous individual. But it was a team game.

The Chicago Tribune was a good example. I was the beat writer covering the team that season. Bernie Linciciome, one of our columnists, liked basketball. And he loved Jordan. So he came to a lot of games. But rarely did the newspaper ever send anyone else to write about the Bulls. After that Game 4, Bernie's column was on the front page of the sports section. My game story was on page eight. The sports section was led by a Blackhawks story and then two on the Kentucky Derby and one each on the Cubs and White Sox. It was hardly bias; the community wasn't that interested back then.

The story did get to the lead in the sports section after the win, though.

Jordan was despondent after his Game 4 failures at the end, though, typically, defiant.

"We weren't supposed to win in Cleveland (Game 1)," he said. "We just have to do it again."

Jordan never ran away from responsibility and spent more time post game from that Game 4 talking than everyone on the team combined. "We're the kind of team that thrives when no one expects us to do anything," he said.

"Even the greatest golfers miss a putt once in a while," he said.

Yes, we heard a lot of golf comparisons back then, also. This was looking like a quadruple bogey.

The series had taken a turn to the off the court stuff.

The Cavs were the team on the rise. They were on the way to a 60-win season when a Rick Mahorn cheap shot back in February knocked out Cavs star point guard Mark Price with a concussion. The Cavs were the Pistons' chief rival then. Detroit thought little, actually, of the Bulls. The NBA, believe it or not, was still celebrating Detroit's dirty play. The hit was so egregious the NBA took the then unprecedented step of a $5,000 fine. Though it was Price with a groin injury in missing Game 1 that set back the Cavs. Coach Lenny Wilkens probably erred in making Ron Harper the point guard and the Cavs offense broke down. A limited Price returned after that, and it seemed Jordan's late game misses had enabled the Cavs to right themselves for Game 5 back home.

The Cavs' great, young team was a classic build-in-the-draft strategy with Daugherty, Harper, Price and John "Hot Rod" Williams from the 1986 draft and then a trade for Nance. The Bulls were slightly ahead having Jordan. They defeated the Cavs in five games in the 1988 playoff first round. The Game 5 win in 1988 was when coach Doug Collins gave Scottie Pippen his first career start over Sellers. The Bulls that season had traded Charles Oakley not only to add Bill Cartwright, but to open a spot for Horace Grant to start alongside Pippen.

The Bulls would be the undoing of perhaps the greatest run that never happened. The Bulls with Jordan knocked the Cavs out of the playoffs in 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993. And then again in 1994 when Jordan was playing baseball. The Bulls and the shot went down with all that other Cleveland curse stuff like the fumble, drive, Rocky Colavito. LeBron finally put an end to it.

But that series was the turning point for the Bulls.

In the last game of the regular season, 5-0 against the Bulls that season, the Cavs rested their starters. Yes, sometimes it happened then, but usually the last game of the season. The Bulls needed momentum so they played their regulars. Led by rarely used Randolph Keys, the Cavs won. Really, what chance did this Bulls team have after finishing with three fewer wins than the previous season?

Then came the Game 1 win as Jordan was amazing in those statement games. The Bulls won Game 1 in the next round in overtime to lead to the upset of the Knicks and then Game 1 in the conference finals in Detroit before the Pistons recovered on the way to their first of two straight titles.

The Cavs won Game 2, but then back in Chicago, David Letterman was on the road with his TV show and how do you go to Chicago and not have Michael Jordan? After the Bulls went ahead 2-1 with Jordan scoring 44 points, Jordan went on with Letterman at the Chicago Theater. Jordan, by the way, averaged 39.8 points, 8.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds in that series in stats you never hear about.

Jordan came out introduced by Letterman as "Just possibly the greatest basketball player today." He was wearing a bright blue sport coat over a white t-shirt and gray slacks. Kids in the audience screamed when Jordan said he was 26. The kids got it then. Letterman introduced Ernie Banks in the audience and Jordan went on to tell the story of cutting off part of his big toe when he was five years old chopping wood against parents' orders. Jordan also quipped about everyone in his family being under six foot tall, but the milkman being 6-7. He quickly said his father was back stage and they joke about that all the time. Jordan already was talking title and said the Bulls had a chance, though slim as he put his fingers about two inches apart. Letterman tried to get Jordan to talk about playing the Knicks in the next round, but Jordan said if they won. It would become an issue in the series as the Cavs were kind of goaded into saying they were upset about Jordan going on TV like that in the middle of the series with arrogance about looking to the next round already.

Though anger was a tough emotion to believe with that Cavs group. It fit together like perfect gears, but without much anger. Maybe too nice?

Then Jordan went out and messed up the end of Game 4.

So predictably he was buoyant for Game 5. Similarly when the Bulls lost the Game 5 back in Chicago in the 1993 Finals in the old 2-3-2 format, Jordan jauntily met the team with a cigar in his mouth going to Game 6 in Phoenix saying, "Good morning NBA champions."

I remember flying in that Sunday morning with my friend Mike Imrem from the Herald. Jerry Reinsdorf was on our flight, not in first class, as I recall, and we gave him a ride to the arena in our rental car. Things were much more informal in those days. Though Reinsdorf did get a ride back with the team on their chartered flight that day. The team flew commercial in the regular season back then, but charter in the playoffs.

And then the Shot. Collins with his curly hair flying was jumping and leaping across the court. Jordan went on the CBS broadcast and joked how it wasn't a free throw. Like he famously said, he succeeded because he failed so often. It was one of the great days in Chicago sports history because it effectively began the greatest sports era Chicago has known, the shot heard ‘round the Loop, East Garfield Park, Back of the Yards, Lawndale, Streeterville, Uptown, Sauganash, Hyde Park, West Pullman, Wrightwood, Albany Park, around the basketball world.

the-shot

The Shot

admin

The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Chicago Bulls. All opinions expressed by Sam Smith are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Chicago Bulls or its Basketball Operations staff, parent company, partners, or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Bulls and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.

By Sam Smith | 10.28.2014 | 9:29 a.m. CT | asksam@bulls.com | @SamSmithHoops

One time Bulls coach Doug Collins believes the Bulls should start Doug McDermott and suggests it could be a slow process for Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah learning to play together and sort out their roles in the offense.

Collins, regarded as perhaps the most astute analyst working in TV media today, made his comments Monday in an ABC/ESPN media conference call with reporters. The Bulls opening game is against the Knicks Wednesday and will be televised by ESPN and WGN with the NBA Countdown show featuring Collins with Jalen Rose and Sage Steele premiering immediately before at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.

The 2014-15 NBA regular season officially opens Tuesday with the champion Spurs getting their rings and hosting the Dallas Mavericks, as well as Orlando/New Orleans and Lakers/Rockets. Those games will feature several story lines of the fate of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, the coming of the Pelicans with Anthony Davis and the reinvigorated Mavericks.

Most of the NBA then gets going Wednesday with the Heat without LeBron James hosting Washington and a first look at whether Miami looks like a playoff team, the Thunder without Kevin Durant against fast rising Portland, tough Memphis welcoming No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins and the Lakers heading into Phoenix. Then Thursday LeBron James and his Cavs follow the Bulls into New York and the Bulls Friday have their home opener against the Cavs with the return of Derrick Rose and the expected East conference finalists, the Bulls and Cleveland. There’s thus considerable attention toward the Bulls and Cavs, and Collins along with fellow analyst Jalen Rose answered media questions about the season.  

Collins said many are overlooking potential issues for the Bulls because of so many new faces and situations even though the core is intact. Collins mentioned the return of Derrick Rose, addition of Gasol and said the inconsistency of the second unit suggested perhaps a need for veteran Mike Dunleavy.

“I think when you look at the Bulls, I don't think people realize that you have a lot of the same pieces back, but they're a very different team,” said Collins.  “To me, when I see Pau Gasol out there playing as a center and I see Joakim Noah playing as a power forward, his (Noah’s) defensive role has changed.  Last year, he was the Defensive Player of the Year as a center. Now you're going to see him playing at that four spot a lot when Pau is in there as a five.  You'll see him (Noah) play as a five when he's out there with Taj Gibson. But so much of what they did last year, their offense, they played through Joakim as an offensive player, not necessarily to score but to facilitate.

“Now he's (Noah) got to find his role in that offense because the ball is either going to be in Derrick Rose's hands or it's going to be in Pau Gasol's hands in the post,” said Collins, zeroing in on the most troublesome issue for the Bulls in preseason.  “So that's a little different. To me, it's going to be interesting at the end of the day who Thibs (coach Tom Thibodeau) ends up settling on to be the starter.  It looks like Dunleavy maybe to start the year, but that second unit has got to get an identity.  I thought in the preseason they were very inconsistent.

“When you had (Doug) McDermott out there, when you had him out there with (Nikola) Mirotic, two rookies; you had Aaron Brooks, who was a new guy; you had Taj (Gibson) out there; and you had Kirk Hinrich,” noted Collins. “So I thought they were struggling to find who they needed to be. I'd go on record and say I feel like at the end of the day, if somehow Doug McDermott can be a starter, I think he's going to get better shots with that starting unit being out there with Pau Gasol and with Derrick Rose. And it's not going to depend so much on Jimmy Butler having to make as many shots. And then I think Mike Dunleavy is a guy who has played off the bench in his career, and to me with him out there and Taj Gibson and Kirk and Aaron Brooks, you've got a little bit more of a veteran feel to it.”

It’s an astute analysis, not surprisingly, from Collins, who coached the Bulls to their best seasons in more than a decade when he took over in 1986. He subsequently became one of the game’s elite turnaround specialists in coaching stints with the Pistons, Wizards and 76ers. Collins says he’s out of head coaching for good and is now working in the studio for ESPN. But with his son, Chris, coaching at Northwestern, Doug Collins is in the Chicago area more, he retains a close friendship with Bulls executive John Paxson and attended a Bulls preseason game. So Collins has spent more time watching the Bulls than the typical TV analyst, most of whom often provide a generic overview. Assuming they even watch the games, which it seems unlikely with the likes of former players like Shaquille O’Neal. Collins provides what a true coach sees. And it sounded like he sees a team that has adjustments to make in an early season learning curve.

“I sure hope that Derrick Rose can stay healthy because as a man who suffered injury, my heart aches when you see a great player (hurt),” said Collins, whose All-Star career was cut short over serious knee surgeries. “II was never a Derrick Rose, an MVP, but I was a player who played at a pretty high level and loved to play.  When the game was taken away from me, it was heartbreaking that I couldn't play.  I hope he can play.  He's taken a lot of grief from being hurt.  Nobody wants to be hurt, and so for him to be back out there – I saw some great play from him in the preseason--I think the question is going to be his building on the minutes.  But his efficiency has been terrific.

“Right now a team that is built on their defense,” noted Collins of the Bulls.  “Can their offense come up to snuff?  Can Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol give them extra points at all and make the game a little easier for them to where they don't have to grind out every game every single night?

“How do you incorporate Pau Gasol into the low post?” asked Collins  “They played through Joakim Noah last year.  Now he's playing as a power forward.  He's not catching the ball as much.  He's not (as) much of a playmaker because you have Rose and you have Pau Gasol.  Jimmy Butler has already got an injury.  So there's a lot of stuff going on there that we know they're going to be great defensively.  Can they get good enough offensively to be a team that can win a championship?       

“I don't know what kind of minutes (Nikola) Mirotic is going to get because I don't know if Thibs can play four bigs,” said Collins. “And we know there's 96-minutes between Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson, and I think the interesting thing for Thibs is it's going to be… last year, it was a given, the third quarter ended, Carlos Boozer put on his warm up, he ended the game with Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.  Now Pau Gasol wants to finish those games, too, so what's it going to be?  It might be from night to night he doesn't always finish with the same two guys.  I think that's a dynamic that he has to figure out.

“I think they have the right pieces, but I think that's going to take a while longer,” said Collins.  “Derrick Rose coming back, they're still not solidified yet with that starting situation.  I'm of the belief that McDermott would be a better starter and Dunleavy coming off the bench would solidify that second unit. But I think Thibs is concerned about having the best possible team he can have out there to start the season so they don't get off to a slow start. With all this said and done and Chicago coming back, I think they have as much work to do as Cleveland in getting themselves together to where they want to be.”

Asked about Cleveland and Miami, Collins added: “I just look at Cleveland, I think they're going to be one of the most dynamic offensive teams in the league.  I said the first exhibition game they played, I think LeBron took seven shots, had two buckets, Kyrie didn't play, and they had 122 points.  So they're going to be a team that can score the ball.  I think the question is going to be for them as a champion:  Can they become a top-10 defensive team?  I think it's going to be vital for (Anderson) Varejao and Tristan Thompson to stay healthy.  They're their two big guys that they're going to ask to give them some size.  They're going to be a great rebounding team.  And I think at the end of the day, LeBron has a chance to lead the league in assists. And I think once again, he'll become a first league all defender, and so I think that they're going to be awfully tough to beat.

“I've got a lot of respect for Miami,” Collins added.  “When I look at their team, I say there's still a lot of questions with Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers being your point guard, still a lot of questions about how many games Dwyane Wade is going to be able to play at a high level because of the injury to his knee that he suffered. Can Chris Bosh be back to that No. 1 option, Josh McRoberts and Luol Deng filling in, what kind of bench play they're going to get?  I know they're going to be well prepared.  I know they're going to compete.  I know they won't beat themselves.  I just don't see them being in the class of those other two teams (Cavs and Bulls).”

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Doug Collins: Bulls a very different team

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