Doug Collins to leave ESPN, return to Bulls in front-office role

MIAMI, FL – APRIL 18: Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doug Collins yells from the sideline during game two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on April 18, 2011 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

By Alex Putterman on 09/19/201709/20/2017

Long before Doug Collins became an insightful analyst on ESPN’s game broadcasts and studio shows, he enjoyed a successful (though notably titleless) tenure as head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

Now, 28 years after being fired from that role, Collins is headed back to Chicago to serve as a senior advisor to VP of basketball operations John Paxson, whom he coached back in the ’80s. The new gig will cause him to quit his job at ESPN, where he has worked since 2013.

Via the Chicago Tribune, here was Collins’ statement on re-joining the Bulls:

“People who know me know the respect that I have for Jerry, Michael (Reinsdorf), and the Chicago Bulls organization. I am looking forward to getting started and helping everyone,” Collins said in a statement. “To be able to stay involved in the NBA and work with John, Gar, Fred and their respective staffs, while not having to leave my family and continuing to live in one of the greatest cities in the world — the fit couldn’t be any better for me at this point in my life.”

ESPN confirmed in a statement that Collins would not continue to work at the network.https://twitter.com/SprungOnSports/status/910169071869681664

Collins was a valuable resource for ESPN, a former coach with intimate Xs and Os knowledge and the ability to communicate it to an audience. He served as an analyst on NBA Countdown for three seasons before shifting to the broadcast booth full-time last October and was well-received in both roles. His departure so close to the start of the NBA season will leave ESPN a bit short-handed, though the network still has a strong game-analyst roster with Jeff Van Gundy, Marc Stein, Hubie Brown, Doris Burke, and Jon Barry aboard.In Chicago, Collins will attempt to help fix a Bulls team with little going for it at the moment.

On one hand, Collins is a universally admired basketball mind who has found success on the sideline with several teams. On the other hand, he has little executive experience and has expressed extreme hostility toward the analytics that have become essential across the NBA. He parachutes into a front office resented by players, fans and coaches alike, one that might struggle to survive an inevitably trying rebuilding process.

Congrats to Collins for getting back into the NBA. But that ring that eluded him last time he was in Chicago doesn’t seem likely to arrive this time.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.

View all posts by Alex Putterman