Could Doug Collins have coached them to that Championship? I mean he *did* lead them to the Eastern Conf finals the year before [word is he got canned because Krause didn't like him] Rocket River
I think Collins is a really good coach. Of course, all the reasons why Collins was fired are speculation, but I think it was because Collins often played Jordan at point, and Jordan didn't like it very much. That seems reasonable, because I doubt the Bulls would have fired any coach that Jordan really liked. The funny thing is, Jordan hired Collins to be his coach for the Wizards, then at the end of the season, after they had missed the playoffs, he complained that Collins was NOT playing him at point, after making no such complaint previously. Under Collins, Jordan had that monster season where he averged 30+ points, 8 reb, and 8 ast. I think Collins was getting the best out of Jordan in those years. Perhaps Jordan realized that, and that's why he hired Collins back. Pity, though, that Jordan stepped all over him at the end of this season, considering Collins has bent over backwards for him.
Collins is a nice guy and seems to care about his players, the league, etc. But he just seems a little soft - he just does'nt have the tough mentality to win big. Was it the bulls he finally beat when he started crying on the sideline? I think crying over a regular season victory was just a little too much- and says alot about whats going on in his head. I don't want to sound like i'm totally against the guy, but as a player I would lose some respect for my coach.
Considering Magic Johnson was hurt (among other Lakers), I probably could've coached them to the first championship.