Doug Collins, Coach Of The Year?

Doug Collins has made the Sixers relevant again. After a disappointing 2009-10 season in which the Sixers went just 27-55, Collins has turned this team into a solid 500 club, and a team that is starting to gain some respect around the league. Collins has installed a winning formula that includes a strong focus on defense, and a strong system to operate effectively in the half court offense. During Mo Cheeks' time as coach, the Sixers relied heavily on the fast break to score a lot of their points. With a young and athletic team, the fast break was a good option to get easy high percentage shots. The only problem was that the offense stalled in the half court, and the Sixers struggled greatly. Now, Doug Collins has the Sixers spreading the basketball around and getting double figure contributions from 5-8 guys a night. Around the league, players and coaches are also starting to take notice of just how great a job Doug Collins is doing. Doc Rivers, head coach of the Boston Celtics had this to say about Collins, “He is Coach of the Year. I don’t think anyone has done a better job then Doug Collins. They didn’t make a lot of moves. This is virtually the same team, but they play different, they play together." Rivers brings up a great point on how this is virtually the same team. All the Sixers really did during the past off season was get rid of Dalambert and add Hawes, Turner, Meeks and Nocioni. I think the biggest and best move the Sixers made during the past off season was bringing in Doug Collins. He has this team playing together and playing at an extremely high level. If the Sixers can finish the season strong, I think Doug Collins is a lock for coach of the year.