Are You Kidding Me?

What the....

Doug Collins will not be returning for a second coaching stint with the Bulls.

Collins and team Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf mutually agreed during a Friday-afternoon phone conversation that the Bulls' coaching search, now more than seven weeks old, would continue without Collins.

"I just knew over the last few days that Jerry was really struggling over whether or not to do this, and I didn't want Jerry to have those struggles," Collins told the Tribune. "I love him. And I didn't want him feeling that kind of angst.

You can bet there will be more about this on Monday. If only it had happened yesterday, we would have had an Asshole Of The Week. Though at least we got a front runner for next week's award.

Hire A Damn Coach Already

So it's been nearly a week since word leaked that the Bulls were going to hire Doug Collins to be their next head coach. While the Bulls and Collins were both quick to say that nothing was finalized, both sides also admitted that there were talks going on between them, and that they were going well.

Hell, after game five of the Western Conference Finals, TNT and Marv Albert basically gave Collins a eulogy as his work for the network was coming to an end.

Yet, here we are six days later and the Bulls haven't announced anything about Collins yet. The only thing the Bulls are doing is interviewing more coaching candidates.

Kings assistant Chuck Person, in town on Tuesday, interviewed a second time for the position. And sources said former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey would follow with his second solo interview on Wednesday or Thursday.

Both follow-up interviews were with, at minimum, Reinsdorf. Paxson conducted the initial interviews, and it's unclear if he attended as well.

In fact, there were unconfirmed signals the Bulls also might interview Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin and Rockets assistant Elston Turner again. Turner, with 11 seasons of assistant coaching experience, would fit the profile mentioned in a Tribune report that said Paxson planned to interview a veteran coach whom nobody had identified.

So is Collins getting the damn job or not? If the Bulls want him to be their next head coach, and Collins wants to be the next Bulls head coach, then why the hell don't they hire him already? Are these other candidates being interviewed for the actual position, or are the Bulls just looking at them as possible assistants and heirs to the throne?

I just want to know what the hell is going on.

Unable to Find Coach In the Present, John Paxson Travels Back In Time to Find His Man

Doug Collins? That's the new head coach of the Chicago Bulls? Okay.

Was Dick Motta not answering Pax's phone calls?

Sources confirmed the former Bulls coach is expected to become the new Bulls coach. Collins coached the Bulls from 1986-89 and, as recently as two weeks ago, talked about not wanting to leave his TNT broadcasting job and the family life it afforded him.

But Collins' extremely close relationship with Paxson, friendship with team Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf (who fired Collins) and the Bulls winning the draft lottery have changed his mind, sources said.

KTAR-620 AM in Phoenix, which is the Suns' flagship station, first reported the story.

The news that the Bulls are about to hire their former head coach, and current TNT analyst, Doug Collins caught me a bit off guard when I first heard it this morning. To be honest, I don't remember much from Collins' first time around with the team, as he was fired when I was only nine years old.

My basketball IQ at nine left a bit to be desired, though I was smart enough to realize that Jordan guy was pretty decent. From what I do remember, Collins started turning the Bulls into a winning team for the first time, and there were a lot of playoff series with the Pistons that we lost. Then Collins got fired, and Phil Jackson took over, and the next thing I knew the Bulls were the greatest thing in the world.

Maybe that's the plan again? Apparently Paxson is also planning on hiring one of the younger (read: non-recycled) coaches he's interviewed as an assistant to Collins, in hope that Collins can groom him to take over like he did Phil Jackson.

Still, I have no idea how I really feel about all of this yet. All my opinions on Doug Collins are more focused on the job he does on television, and those opinions are generally "Hey, I don't hate him!" Don't think he's awesome or anything, but I don't hate him.

Which is probably how I feel about this coaching hire. It doesn't excite me in the least, but I don't hate it. Just as long as they draft Derrick Rose.

Oh, and in other news from around Chicago, the Bears have fired Lovie Smith and re-hired Mike Ditka, and the Cubs kicked Lou Piniella on the street in favor of Dallas Green.