Doug Collins

There once was a fat guy named Jeff. They called him Super Fan. Jeff's job--he never got paid, but he did get free admission--was to run laps around Chicago Stadium, around the basketball court, to the accompaniment of the "William Tell Overture." The faster the Lone Ranger's theme played, the faster Jeff was supposed to run. He was Sunday Silence on two legs. Super Fan, who was in his 20s, usually ran for about two minutes. He wore a faded white T-shirt with a Chicago Bulls emblem, and his tummy always drooped from the bottom of it, as with one of those stereotypical home repairmen whose bellybutton and rear cleavage are indecently exposed.

Jodie Meeks hit half of his shots against the Philadelphia 76ers, including a highlight reverse dunk, for a total of seven points.  Meeks is a steady part of Coach Mike D'Antoni's rotation which went just eight deep on Tuesday in the Lakers' 103-99 loss to the Sixers. Coach Doug Collins had nothing but positive things to say about Meeks, whom he coached in Philadelphia. "He's one of the best teammates you can ever have," said Collins.  "He never puts himself above the team....

The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to terms with TV analyst Doug Collins to become their new coach, two people familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. The sources spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made public. One of them said the official announcement probably will come Friday. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Collins will receive a four-year contract. Collins is 332-287 in coaching stints with Chicago, Detroit and Washington.

Before the Lakers battled the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, Coach Doug Collins had high praise for Kobe Bryant "He's a basketball genius," Collins said. "As guys get older, for the guys who are really the savants, the game comes easier. They don't waste energy. When you're younger sometimes, you chase your tail; and you get older and the game slows down," Collins said. "He knows where he wants the ball, how he wants to get it, how he's going to get it and what he's going to do to you once he gets it. " Collins marveled at Bryant's longevity in the league, playing at such a high level.

Does anyone really understand the firing of Doug Collins as coach of the Chicago Bulls? Here's a man who helped his organization make quantum leaps toward credibility and respectability in recent years and come within a heartbeat of the NBA finals this year. But instead of a much-deserved pat on the back and a contract extension, they gave him the air. Collins deserved better. ROSS PATTERSON Burbank

Not even success was enough to save Doug Collins' job. Collins, who led the Chicago Bulls into the Eastern Conference finals last season for their best postseason showing in 14 years, unexpectedly was fired as coach Thursday. "We know this will be an unpopular decision, but we truly believe this will be in the best interests of all parties," team owner Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement released by the club.

The numbers indicate Doug Collins is likely to fail the same way as his eight predecessors in the past decade. Collins is the ninth coach in the last 10 years for the Chicago Bulls, a team that has never won an NBA championship and infrequently makes the playoffs.

Doug Collins is what you'd have if the boy next door grew up to become a basketball star, coach and boss of his own NBA team. Of course, if you had been able to see into the future, you might have told the little tyke to become an accountant and save wear and tear on everyone's nervous system. Among the best, brightest and most mercurial, Collins has crossed the sky like a meteor. Unfortunately, meteors burn out or crash, and he has done that too.

Doug Collins, fired last year as coach of the Chicago Bulls, was interviewed about the vacant coaching job with the New York Knicks.

'One of the great actors in the NBA.' Doug Collins, TNT announcer, on Sacramento King center Vlade Divac during the Dallas-Sacramento game Tuesday night

Philadelphia 76ers Coach/psychologist Doug Collins talked about handling a team with young players. "The one thing about players today is that they're very sensitive and very fragile. They didn't grow up with tough coaches," he said. "I treat this team very much with kid gloves; I really do. And I'm still looked at as an ogre. It's terrible. I find myself during the games looking at a coach and saying, 'Was I all right during that timeout? Did I hurt anybody's feelings? Was I OK?

The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to terms with TV analyst Doug Collins to become their new coach, two people familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. The sources spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made public. One of them said the official announcement probably will come Friday. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Collins will receive a four-year contract. Collins is 332-287 in coaching stints with Chicago, Detroit and Washington.

On a day that opened a pressure-packed can of questions without many answered, one query rang clearly and loudly as the Dodgers approached their first of 50 games without Manny Ramirez: How would the Dodgers' television and radio networks handle the news of Ramirez's drug suspension? To their credit, they did not avoid it. Both pregame shows, on Prime Ticket and 790 KABC radio, gave the Ramirez story its due.

Doug Collins was fired as coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1989 and replaced by assistant Phil Jackson. But if there were ever any hard feelings, as some thought at the time, you'd never know it from Collins' current-day TNT commentary.

'One of the great actors in the NBA.' Doug Collins, TNT announcer, on Sacramento King center Vlade Divac during the Dallas-Sacramento game Tuesday night

"Must be a guy from Munich running that shot clock." Doug Collins, TNT announcer, on a questionable shot clock violation in Tuesday's Laker game, referring to the controversial operation of the clock that cost him and the rest of the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team the gold medal

"Michael is a genius as a basketball player. What he went through last year physically makes him more aware this year of what we have to do." Doug Collins, Washington Wizards' coach on Michael Jordan

The Chicago Bulls today fired Coach Stan Albeck, who led the team into the National Basketball Assn. playoffs despite the loss of Michael Jordan for 64 games. Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf announced the firing in a statement and a team source said the Bulls expect to hire former Philadelphia 76ers star Doug Collins as Albeck's replacement later this week.

First Michael Jordan, now Doug Collins. And if Washington Wizard fans don't like it, they can get their money back. Collins was fired as the Wizard coach Friday, three weeks after Jordan was shown the door by owner Abe Pollin. The widely expected move happened sooner than expected -- Pollin originally had pledged to let Jordan's yet-to-be-hired replacement decide Collins' fate. "I think everybody had a sense all along that I was going to be fired," Collins said.