Doug Collins is back in town. Cool, I guess.
But let’s get this straight. According to both Collins and his new boss John Paxson, he will not be coaching in any capacity and he will not be making personnel decisions.
Sooo…
Tabbed as a “Senior Advisor” for basketball operations, Collins will be around – only occasionally – to be a sounding board and “resource” for Paxson and general manager Gar Forman. In their press conference on Tuesday, Paxson praised Collins for his lengthy NBA resume and brilliant basketball mind.
If you can read between the lines – which shouldn’t be hard for most Bulls fans at this point, we’ve had plenty of practice – the Collins hire isn’t vague or confusing but predictable and maddening.
Bulls Will Be Bulls
Hiring a familiar face is such a classic (and lazy) Bulls move. Through the years, Jerry Reinsdorf and his son Michael repeatedly hire former players and coaches to serve various roles in the organization. Care for some examples? John Paxson. Bill Cartwright. Pete Myers. B.J. Armstrong. Randy Brown. Fred Hoiberg. Just last week, the team hired Jannero Pargo to join the staff of the Windy City Bulls, their D-League affiliate.
Between former players and Forman’s gross obsession with Iowa State folks, it’s as if the Bulls front office insists on using a Rolodex from the turn of the century that has a grand total of ten phone numbers in its coffee-stained pages. Paxson touted this as a great and innovative move to add this particular guy as a senior advisor to their staff. Actually, John, you’re a little late to that party compared to your NBA colleagues and the guy you hired surprised absolutely no one.
Old-Timer
As for what Collins brings to the table in his amorphous role, there are some very legitimate concerns. First of all, the 66 year-old insisted in his press conference Tuesday that he’s hip and with it in today’s NBA. In his own words, “I’m old, but I’m not old school…I’m woke.” Yes, he used the word “woke” for real. Nice effort, Gramps. But just a few years ago when coaching the Philadelphia 76ers, Collins condemned the ever-growing significance of basketball analytics, saying he’d rather “blow [his] brains out” than go over 20-page printouts of statistical analysis after every game.
Not only that, those 76ers teams coached by Collins led the NBA in midrange shot attempts for three straight seasons. The analytics he was actively condemning were being used by smarter minds in more progressive organizations to put an emphasis on three pointers, which yield much greater points per possession than the midrange shots his 76ers were taking. So how exactly will Collins be able to help a Fred Hoiberg offense that’s trying to get with the times and rely on a heavy dose of perimeter shots? How can he be trusted to evaluate talent that fits the modern NBA landscape?
Even more worrisome is the way in which Doug’s relationship with his players in Philadelphia deteriorated. As he described it, he had a hard time relating to the younger players of the league’s next generation. He said the following to an SB Nation reporter in 2012:
“The one thing about players today is that they’re very sensitive, and very fragile. They didn’t grow up with tough coaches. You know, I had my ass kicked since I was 6. It’s a different time, and so I treat this team very much with kid gloves … and the younger the guys, it seems like the more sensitive. And that’s what you’re wrestling with.” – Doug Collins
So Collins can’t relate to the analytics of modern basketball, nor can he relate to the younger players in modern basketball. Remind me, what is the Bulls trajectory as of today? Oh, right. Developing a roster filled with young guys in a modernized style of play. What a great “resource” Paxson hired!
I guarantee you Paxson isn’t concerned with any of that. Paxson hired Doug to be a glorified “Yes Man” and nothing more. I see it playing out like this:
“Hey, Doug, Gar and I are thinking about making this move. Do you agree?”
“Um…sure, John. Go for it.”
“Thanks, Doug! Here’s a check. Enjoy that Northwestern game later tonight. See you in a couple months.”
After that brief “meeting”, Paxson can come to the media and brag about how Collins – their brilliant basketball mind – gave their latest confounding move a thumps up. If that move backfires, there’s one more head to share the blame that should be placed squarely on his shoulders. It’s genius, really.
So where does that leave us? Where can Bulls fans turn to find any hope that this latest “Bulls being Bulls” move might actually bring some light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel? How can Collins make himself useful for this organization? If you think I’m about to tell you Doug’s hiring is the first step to ousting Forman, sorry to disappoint. All of my sources tell me that’s not the case.
No, this brings us to Dwyane Wade.
Bye-Out
Appearing on the “Mully and Hanley” show on 670 The Score Thursday morning, Paxson reaffirmed his initial remarks regarding a possible Dwyane Wade buyout after the team traded Jimmy Butler on draft night.
“We want to work with Dwyane because we respect him very much. If he doesn’t want to be here, then we want to do [the buyout]. But again, the bottom line is always – and it has to be – that we have to do what’s in our best interest.” – John Paxson
Essentially, Paxson and the Bulls are willing to grant Wade a buyout if he gives back a significant portion of the $23.8 million he’s owed this season. With that money, the Bulls could – among other options – take on an unwanted contract with a future draft pick attached to it. At the onset of a rebuild, the Bulls should be stockpiling as many picks as possible.
So how might this Wade buyout conundrum involve Doug Collins? It’s simple. Put the man in the room where these negotiations happen. As of right now – according to Paxson in that interview – Gar is the one on the phone with Wade’s agent.
Does anybody in Chicago trust Gar to handle these buyout talks? Look no further than the most recent trades he “negotiated” and you’ll get your answer. The deadline trade with Oklahoma City looks awful given Cameron Payne’s uselessness, even without remembering that Gar gave the Thunder a draft pick. He settled on swapping picks with Minnesota on draft night instead of insisting to keep the #16 pick on his side of the table. Would Tom Thibodeau really have backed out of his quest to get Jimmy without that pick? Unlikely. Gar is just a terrible negotiator, plain and simple.
Who’s confident that Gar can talk Wade into giving back some of that money? Not me, that’s for damn sure. So why not let Doug try? It’s not that hard to come up with the pitch.
Wade has a net worth somewhere around $100 million, and with endorsements that will keep climbing long after he retires. He doesn’t need the $23.8 million, he just wants it. But does he want it badly enough to stick around a rebuilding team that’s pegged to finish dead last in the NBA this season? He doesn’t seem too keen on playing a mentor’s role, and most of the young guys on the Bulls roster have leaked to the media that they hate the guy. He could go back to Miami, where he’s still worshipped like a god. He could go play with his pal LeBron in Cleveland for a year and chase another ring.
Chicago is the last place Wade wants to be right now, and all the Bulls need to do is play a little bit of hardball for both sides to get what they want. Maybe Collins can be the one to nudge Wade in the right direction. After all, he’s a no-nonsense guy with plenty of experience dealing with big-ego stars. If Doug is in those negotiations and helps Gar call Wade’s bluff, maybe the Bulls front office finally wins something.
Paxson and Collins sounded vague about his job description because there is no job to describe. The former coach was triumphantly welcomed back, but not to help the coaching staff and not to make personnel decisions. He’s just a guy the front office brought in to help them feel better about themselves and their poor decision-making. I know it sounds crazy, but maybe the Bulls can give the guy an actual task. You want Doug to be a “resource”? Let him be resourceful by helping your spineless general manager negotiate with a greedy has-been who wants out of town, but not without his money owed.
Wade’s buyout could be a crucial element to the financial flexibility and asset accumulation of the Bulls’ rebuild moving forward. Those negotiations are coming soon, and Doug Collins should be in the room where it happens.
