Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Questioning the Answer: How Doug Collins Helped the Philadelphia 76ers Forget About Allen Iverson

The 76ers at one point had the most feared scorer in basketball: Allen Iverson. He was supposed to be a surefire Hall of Famer, but his career was derailed after leaving Philly. The 76ers were thrown for a loop, culminating in the number 2 pick last year. They went from lottery to potential playoff shocker. How did they do that? Well the first thing to look at is their coach Doug Collins.

I am no basketball expert, but looking at their roster, Doug Collins must've done something to this team to make them improve this much. In the first half of the season, it looked like the 76ers were headed for another lottery finish. Then, they hit it. They have been one of the stronger teams in the NBA after the All-Star break. But they are doing it with an oft-injured starting power forward in Elton Brand, a seemingly overhyped shooting guard in Evan Turner, and a dialed down Andre Iguodala.

Doug Collins has changed this team. They are more defensive despite giving up a strong defensive center in Samuel Dalembert away for a more offensively minded center in Spencer Hawes. He diminished the scoring role of Andre Iguodala and made him more of a distributor. He found talent in late picks like Jodie Meeks and Louis Williams. He is letting his talented big men work the post, and moved former starter Thaddeus Young to a key bench role. He has transformed this team, and though they are far from winning, they won't be for long.

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