WASHINGTON – Doug Collins is reuniting with Michael Jordan,
this time as the Washington Wizards' coach.
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What's next, M.J.? |
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Michael Jordan continued to quote the same
long odds that he won't return to the NBA, but he quickly added
that "three months from now, I can't tell where I'm going to be."
Jordan's comments came at Thursday's news conference
introducing Doug Collins as the coach of the Wizards. Jordan said he had told Collins that he should not make his
decision on whether to coach "depending upon whether
Michael Jordan plays basketball again."
"There's been a lot of conversation about Michael Jordan
playing basketball again," Jordan said, answering a reporter's
question. "I've said, and I still hold true to my words, that there's a
99.9 percent chance that I won't."
But, he added: "Three months from now, I can't tell where I'm
going to be. Hopefully, I'll still be breathing. But if you ask me
my opinion, as of right now, I'm not playing basketball next
season, and Doug understands that."
Collins said it was his understanding that he was coming to
Washington to coach the Wizards and that his relationship with
Jordan would be as coach to team president.
"The most important thing for me was that Michael was going to
be president here and we were going to be together," Collins said.
"Whatever comes after that would be gravy. So, when Michael makes his decision, he's going to know in his
heart if he can do the things he wants to do, and that's all I
needed to know from Michael."
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The team announced Thursday that Collins will replace Leonard
Hamilton, who resigned late Wednesday after the Wizards completed a
season in which they won 19 games and lost 63 -- third-worst record
in the NBA.
Michael Jordan, the Wizards' president who was coached by
Collins in his early days with the Chicago Bulls, hailed Collins as
capable of "putting together a better basketball team here in
Washington."
Collins said he was excited about the opportunity.
"Michael Jordan called me on the phone and said, 'I need you.
Can you come here and help me?"' Collins said. "It was easy, once
he said that. Whatever Michael needs from me, that's what I intend
to bring."
Jordan said, "We're introducing a coach that I had an
opportunity to play for and against."
"I think his record speaks for itself. He has an appetite for
the game. He has an enthusiasm about the game," Jordan said of
Collins. "I think his knowledge of the game is going to be very
helpful. ...
"I felt that at this particular time we needed the knowledge of
utilizing these young players for the benefit of us improving as a
franchise."
Collins, an NBC Sports NBA game analyst since 1998, was Jordan's
coach with the Bulls for three years before being fired after the
1988-89 season. He was replaced by Phil Jackson, who was Chicago's
coach as Jordan led the team to six NBA championships in eight
years.
Collins also coached the Detroit Pistons from the start of the
1995-96 season through 45 games of the 1997-98 season.
Hamilton quit after meeting with Jordan, the team's part owner,
for more than two hours after Wednesday night's season finale. The
move was a surprise -- the rookie coach had given every indication
before the 98-92 loss to Toronto that he planned to return next
season.
"I think it's in the best interests of everybody that I allow
their progress to move on with me going in another direction,"
said Hamilton, who refused to be more specific about why he
resigned or what he felt went wrong during the season.
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COLLINS AS COACH
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Year
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W-L
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Pct.
|
Playoffs
|
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1997-98
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21-24
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.467
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--
|
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1996-97
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54-28
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.659
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2-3
|
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1995-96
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46-36
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.561
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0-3
|
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1988-89
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47-35
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.573
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9-8
|
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1987-88
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50-32
|
.610
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4-6
|
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1986-87
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40-42
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.488
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0-3
|
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Totals
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237-173
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.578
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15-23
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The Wizards have had five head coaches since the start of the
1998-99 season: Bernie Bickerstaff, Jim Brovelli, Gar Heard,
Darrell Walker and Hamilton. The Wizards haven't won a playoff game
in 13 years.
By losing Wednesday's game, the Wizards (19-63) set a franchise
record for losses in a season. The 63 defeats are one more than the
1961-62 Chicago Packers, who finished 18-62 in an 80-game schedule
two years before the team moved to the Baltimore-Washington area.
The Wizards began the year with a lineup that included Juwan
Howard, Mitch Richmond and Rod Strickland. When the wins didn't
come, Jordan traded Howard and cut Strickland to free salary cap
space for the 2002-03 season.
Richmond was injured down the stretch, leaving Hamilton with a
young, raw lineup with several players playing out of position. In
Wednesday's finale, the Wizards dressed just eight players.
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ALSO SEE
Wiz shuffling: Hamilton resigns as coach
May: Collins hopes third coaching time will be charm
AUDIO VIDEO
 Doug Collins talks about being considered an instructor of the game of basketball.
avi: 1434 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN
Cable Modem
Michael Jordan says he's not going to play basketball next season.
avi: 2909 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN
Cable Modem
 Michael Jordan says he has confidence in Doug Collins.
wav: 127 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
ESPN's David Aldridge thinks Doug Collins has a fine understanding of the game of basketball.
wav: 3848 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Charles Barkley doesn't think he or Michael Jordan wants to be a distraction to the teams in the playoffs. (courtesy WFAA)
wav: 141 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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