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I feel your pain Collins says he understands Jordan's frustrationPosted: Thursday November 29, 2001 3:48 PMUpdated: Thursday November 29, 2001 3:53 PM
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Michael Jordan needs Doug Collins as much now as he did seven months ago. Despite Washington's 94-87 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, Jordan's return to the NBA after a three-year absence has been filled with frustration and disappointment that caused him to lash out at his teammates earlier this week. Collins sensed Jordan's anguish, sat with him on the plane ride to Philadelphia and offered some encouragement. "It was the first time I really felt his pain," Collins said. "I said, 'You've asked me to come here and be with you. Let me worry, let me do all those things. You just play. You promised me when you came back to play that you came back because you love to play and you want to have fun. Just do that and let me do the other things and trust that I'll do that for you. I'm here with you through thick and thin and, as long as you want me here, I'll fight with you to the end.' "I just wanted him to know somebody is with him. Sometimes people forget that greatness needs companionship also." Jordan and Collins sometimes clashed when they were with the Chicago Bulls in the late 1980s. But they haven't had any conflicts this time around. When Jordan, then the Wizards' part-owner and president of basketball operations, called looking for a head coach in April, Collins -- then an NBA analyst for NBC -- couldn't resist. "Why? Why do you want to do this?" Collins said, anticipating the reaction. "It's easy -- because Michael Jordan called me on the phone and said, 'I need you. Can you come help me?' It was easy once he said that." Accepting the offer may have been easy. Turning the Wizards into a winning team is another thing. The frustration spilled over during a seven-game losing streak, the longest of Jordan's career. After a 94-75 loss at Cleveland, he said the team "stinks." Jordan criticized his teammates for their lack of urgency and lackluster play on defense, and said he wouldn't accept it much longer. "I don't see anyone covering my back as everyone probably expected me to cover theirs," Jordan said. Friday night's game at Miami will be a test for Washington, which has won two of three after losing seven in a row. After an overtime victory against Boston last Saturday, the Wizards looked horrible against the Cavaliers three nights later, causing Jordan's outburst. Jordan wants his team to respond better after beating the defending Eastern Conference-champion Sixers for the second time this season. "The way we'll be able to turn this around is to go out every night and have the effort," Jordan said. "Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night. "We felt like we accomplished something winning an overtime game against Boston and forgot we had a game in Cleveland. Then we come right back in Philly and the effort is probably one of the best we've had all season. We go right back to Miami and hopefully the effort will be the same." Collins certainly hopes the team understands Jordan's point. He's trying to stay positive while he continues to teach the inexperienced players how to win. "I would like to think that when Michael Jordan speaks that these players are willing to listen. I know I do," Collins said. "There's a man who has been through everything, who has won, who has risked it all to come back and play. "I think basically what he was saying was, 'Guys, I want to play and I want you to play with me. I want you to play hard and I want us to compete and whatever happens, we'll live with it.'"
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