FanHouse Doug Collins

Of course you bite your lip a little bit when you congratulate Peter Vecsey for being named a recipient -- along with Doug Collins -- of the Curt Gowdy media award for 2009.

Vecsey, the long-time writer for the New York Post, and Collins, NBA and Olympic television analyst, will be honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame during its enshrinement ceremonies in September.

You begrudgingly tip your cap to Vecsey because he was a beat writer's nightmare. And I was a beat writer for a while, covering the Golden State Warriors. As a national writer, Vecsey had a knack for interjecting himself into your team's beat every now and again, and in general, making a general nuisance of himself.

John Kuester has agreed to terms to become the next coach of the Detroit Pistons.

Kuester wasn't Joe Dumars' first choice. (That'd be Doug Collins, who kept his hat in the ring just long enough to know that he was wanted.)

And while we're being frank, Kuester clearly wasn't Dumars' second choice, either. (That'd be Avery Johnson, who used the leverage of being owed $8 million over the next two years by the Mavericks to demand more than Dumars was willing to give.)

But at the end of the day, there's still a good chance that Kuester was still the right choice.

The news out of Detroit is that the Pistons have decided to part ways with their head coach of this past season, Michael Curry. The move was an obvious if unexpected one, as Curry made some huge mistakes in his first year in charge -- including alienating the team's number one star, Rip Hamilton, with the way he handled the Allen Iverson situation.

I don't necessarily begrudge Doug Collins for using his magnificent platform to seek out what would (apparently) be a more fulfilling job. After all, senators run for president midterm. Blatantly treating your job as a stepping stone is the American way. The idea itself has lost all negative stigma to the masses.

But there's something about the way in which Collins campaigns for coaching jobs while working playoff games on TNT that bugs me. We saw it with the Chicago vacancy last spring, and we're seeing it now with the Philadelphia opening. The problem for me is that Collins seems to enjoy creating the whispers, the rumors, the controversy. Last night's Lakers-Rockets game was a fantastic example.

We have a second NBA coaching vacancy. Tony DiLeo, the 76er executive who took over for deposed Maurice Cheeks early this season, told Philadelphia GM Ed Stefanski he wanted to give up his coaching duties, according to Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via The 700 Level). DiLeo will return to the front office.

The Kings had been the only coach-less franchise, and they'd taken their sweet time filling the void. Sacramento's first interviews -- Eddie Jordan and Paul Westphal -- have been scheduled for this week. Jordan has been considered a potential candidate for the Sixers job; E.J. was New Jersey's top assistant for several years of Stefanski's tenure there working under Rod Thorn. Doug Collins has also been mentioned profusely, as he was with the Chicago opening last spring.

We can stop wondering why the Bulls haven't worked out a deal with Doug Collins because apparently there won't be a deal with Doug Collins. After talking with Jerry Reinsdorf on the phone this afternoon, Collins removed his name from contention. He gave his reasons to the Chicago Tribune:

"This is absolutely mutual. When this first came about, there was a tremendous amount of excitement about this possibility. And I'm losing that. The feeling now is more, 'Should I do this?' Once I got to that point, it meant no. I always make decisions yes is yes, no is no and maybe is no.

"I just knew over the last few days that Jerry was really struggling over whether or not to do this, and I didn't want Jerry to have those struggles," Collins told the Tribune. "I love him. And I didn't want him feeling that kind of angst.

"Jerry knows me well enough to know the only way I could do this is if I was totally engaged. And I just couldn't do that now."

Unsubstantiated conspiracy theory: Reinsdorf had already cooled on Collins, but because of his previous relationship with Collins, he allowed Collins to publicly bow out to save himself from the embarrassment of being passed over.

Yesterday my colleague Tom Ziller asked the not-so-hypothetical question, "Whatever happened to Doug Collins?" For a few brief seconds it looked like he was a lock to be hired by the Bulls, and yet instead of getting a deal done the team has continued to drag their heels by giving the likes of Dwane Casey and Chuck Person second interviews.

So what gives? Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times explains:

General manager John Paxson was unavailable for comment and remained waiting for the OK from chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to hire Doug Collins. Reinsdorf is said to be upset that the news of Collins' imminent hiring was leaked last week to media, which is why he has revisited the decision.

Really? If that's the case, wow, Reinsdorf seriously needs to get over himself. If he's confident enough to make a multi-year offer, he shouldn't be so worried about the news getting out a few days before he wanted.

But while the Bulls are still talking to candidates, the Daily Herald reports that the Bulls "have not shown much interest" in interviewing recently disposed Pistons Flip Saunders (much to the chagrin of local bloggers). The Star-Tribune muses that Flip might take a year off from coaching to serve as a television analyst. Considering he'll still collect $5.4 million owed from the Pistons, there's no reason for him not to jump back into the business.

Bulls GM John Paxson has released the following denial regarding the reports from earlier today that Doug Collins has agreed to return as head coach:

"I have been in contact with Doug Collins in regard to our head coaching position. Contrary to some reports that are currently out there, we have not reached an agreement. Right now, his commitment is covering the Western Conference Finals for TNT. When that series concludes, we will continue our dialogue. In the meantime, I will continue to talk to other candidates and review our options."

Collins released a nearly identical statement, which makes me think the two sides coordinated their messages.

In any case, this could be a moot case within a matter of hours: the Spurs are on the ropes facing a 3-1 deficit, and there's a good chance they'll be officially dispatched tonight. Whenever it happens, I imagine it won't take longer than a day or so for Collins and the Bulls to complete their talks.

Update: It's not quite official ... yet.

After interviewing half of the league's assistants, my old CYO coach and Tas Melas, the Bulls finally found their man: Doug Collins. From the K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:

Sources confirmed the former Bulls coach is expected to become the new Bulls coach. Collins coached the Bulls from 1986-89 and, as recently as two weeks ago, talked about not wanting to leave his TNT broadcasting job and the family life it afforded him.

But Collins' extremely close relationship with Paxson, friendship with team Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf (who fired Collins) and the Bulls winning the draft lottery have changed his mind, sources said.

For what it's worth, Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times confirms the report, citing a source who said the team should be officially announced "sooner rather than later." The lengthy, drawn-out interview process won't be a complete waste of time, though, as Johnson reports that at least one of the previous candidates will likely land on Collins' staff.

Re-hiring Collins almost two decades after his first stint in the Windy City is certainly surprising, but not because I don't think he's a good coach -- I just wonder if he's the right coach for the job. He's known for being extremely intense, but the Bulls just tuned out Scott Skiles for having that same attribute in spades. That said, Collins is also known for facilitating quick improvements: with the No. 1 pick at his disposal, you have to figure the Bulls will be back in the playoffs next year -- although I'll be satisfied if he simply brings back the perm.

I've always had a lot of respect for Doug Collins, certainly as a broadcaster but especially as a head coach. For whatever reason, he rarely seems to get the credit he deserves for being able to quickly turn around a team's fortunes.

When he took over the Bulls in 1986-87, they improved by 10 games from the previous year; when he took over the Pistons in 1995-97, they improved by 18 games; and when he took over the Wizards in 2001-02, they improved by 18 games.

That's real improvement, but it tends to get overlooked by the fact that Collins' intensity often results in him players tuning him out within a few years. Basically, he can whip a team into shape but can't lead them to the promised land. But for a bottom-feeder team struggling to find an identity, that should be an acceptable trade-off.

So when will he hang up the microphone for a coach's whistle? He answered that question in a recent interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer:

He said he did not aspire to be a head coach but would consider being an assistant and serving as a mentor to a young coach.

"The only way I would coach is five or six years down the road," said Collins. "For instance, Mo asked me a few years ago to be with him as an assistant coach."

Here's my prediction: he takes a job with the Bobcats this summer. By all accounts Sam Vincent is over-matched as a rookie head coach, and it's clear that Collins and Michael Jordan have a connection (Collins coached him in Chicago and was hand-picked by MJ to coach him again in DC). Plus, this would allow Collins to ease back into the coaching mode and do what he does best: helping turn around a team that doesn't know how to win. Mark my words; you heard it hear first.