OPINION

By Sam Smith

updated 9:14 p.m. ET May 30, 2008

For Doug Collins, if he is hired to coach the Chicago Bulls — and it's still an "if" despite frenzied speculation of a done deal — it would be the completion of a journey of redemption.

For the Bulls, if they hire Collins — and it is expected to come to that even if they still have other interviews planned — it would be the kind of bold move that should put the suddenly, and surprisingly, ailing franchise back into serious contention in the Eastern Conference.

Just a year ago, the Bulls were regarded as the young team on the come in the East, and though the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons are slugging it out in the Eastern Conference finals, their windows for success are quickly closing. In a season or two, it should be the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers or Chicago.

And make no mistake, Collins is a terrific coach. He's in the Larry Brown mold, perhaps too much so in many ways, something of an eccentric basketball genius. The connection is: You hire them, you get better. Though perhaps you shouldn't worry about contributing to a 401K.

In Collins' first season with the Bulls in 1986-87, they improved by 10 games, then 10 more the second season. In his first season coaching the Detroit Pistons in 1995-96, they improved by 18 games and then eight more the following season. In his first season coaching the Washington Wizards in 2001-02, they improved by 18 games.

This all can't be coincidence.

But Collins, his passion for the game like a searing flame, burns himself out as quickly. It's no surprise it has given the Bulls pause. General manager John Paxson and managing partner Jerry Reinsdorf are friends of Collins and are concerned about that burnout factor after his surprising call to them saying he wanted to coach the Bulls.

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Collins has had dalliances with several teams about coaching or being an executive the last few years, the latest with the Suns after Mike D'Antoni left. He's always said he'd finally found peace away from the sideline and is considered one of the best television analysts in his work with Turner.

Before broadcasting the Los Angeles Lakers' Western Conference finals victory over the San Antonio Spurs Thursday, Collins said the influence of his son, Chris, an assistant at Duke, helped persuade him to return to coaching.

Clearly, the Bulls having the No. 1 draft pick made the job more appealing. And you can be even more certain that if Collins gets the job, the Bulls will select Derrick Rose. Collins talks often during broadcasts of the importance of a point guard now in the NBA. As a former All-Star guard, Collins also has a preference for open-court ballhandlers and leaders.

The Bulls' youth also appeals to Collins, who always felt he's at his best working with players who need teaching and aren't so set in their ways. He's struggled over the years with more stubborn veterans like Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner.

I have to laugh whenever I think of Laettner and Collins and an anecdote from their days together with the Washington Wizards. Collins is a committed hands-on coach, known for greeting his players with suggestions and tips when they leave the court. Laettner, not the most genial of sorts, hated that. Once, as Laettner was leaving the floor and Collins instructed him about rebounding better, Laettner spat, "Maybe you need to coach better."

If you want Collins, you want his passion. It makes him who he is and the terrific coach he is.

But off the court Collins is the most genial of men. Tales of his kind heartedness are legend around the NBA, especially with those he has fought. He has quietly helped needy friends for years and is a relentless charity worker. He has also been almost obsessed about making things right, and that element is part of his surprising pursuit of the Bulls job after an ugly firing after the 1988-89 season when the Bulls went to the conference finals for the first time in 14 years.

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