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Philly calls again: Collins hired as 76ers' coachBasketball Betting Lines05/21/2010 - The Philadelphia 76ers made Doug Collins their top choice for a second time. Collins was hired Friday by the Sixers, charged with reviving a franchise that went 27-55 last season and has the No. 2 overall pick in next month's draft. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday that Collins agreed to a four-year deal. Collins was selected among seven candidates, the second time the organization chose him above all others. The Sixers made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 1973 draft. This is Collins' fourth stint as an NBA coach. He's worked as an analyst for TNT since leaving the Washington Wizards in 2003. ``We are excited to hire a head coach with the level of experience, knowledge and passion for the game that Doug Collins has,'' team president Ed Stefanski. ``He has been around basketball his entire life, has experienced success at every step throughout his career and we are confident in his ability to lead our team.'' Collins could not immediately be reached for comment. The Sixers have scheduled a news conference for Monday. Collins played eight seasons with the 76ers and was a four-time All-Star in a career shortened by injuries. He went 332-287 in coaching stints with Chicago, Detroit and Washington. He led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1989. Stefanski interviewed Collins on May 1, and he quickly became the No. 1 option to replace the fired Eddie Jordan. Among the other candidates who interviewed were former NBA coaches Avery Johnson and Sam Mitchell. ``The past week has provided us with a series of events that we believe will be a turning point for the Philadelphia 76ers,'' Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider said. ``Doug Collins is a coach that can make an immediate impact. He has all the attributes that we are looking for in a new head coach and we are happy to welcome him back into the Sixers family.'' The 58-year-old Collins will need time to build a winner in Philadelphia, something other coaches haven't been afforded. Since Larry Brown left in 2003, four others have failed to coach more than 82 games for the organization. Jordan, Stefanski's first major coaching hire, flopped in his lone season. After first-round exits in the playoffs two straight seasons, the Sixers tumbled and wound up in the draft lottery. Sixers forward Elton Brand hoped Collins would end the team's coaching carousel. Brand, who hasn't lived up to his $80 million, five-year contract signed in 2008, said there's enough talent for Collins to bring them back to the postseason. ``What gives me hope is that his body of work is pretty strong,'' Brand said by phone from Los Angeles. ``Around the league, people know he knows his X's and O's. He's one of the best coaches that can draw up a play and get a guy a shot.'' This could turn out as the most pivotal offseason for the Sixers since they selected Allen Iverson with the No. 1 overall pick in 1996. The Sixers moved up from the sixth spot to grab the No. 2 pick in Tuesday's lottery. ``Before last year, we seemed to be growing in the right direction,'' Brand said. ``Now it's time to get back on track and I think these next four to five weeks are going to solidify where we're going.'' Brand's first season with the 76ers was cut short by injury. His subpar 2009-10 season (13.1 points) was partly the victim of Jordan's erratic use of him and others in the rotation. Marreese Speights and Thaddeus Young were among the promising core of young players who did not progress this season. ``I'm sure he had other opportunities to coach other players, but he believes in us,'' Brand said. ``He believes in me as a player. I think he'll figure it out.'' Collins guided a young Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls from 1986-89, and the Detroit Pistons from 1995-98. He coached Jordan again with the Washington Wizards from 2001-03. Collins was fired shortly after Jordan was denied a return to the front office. Collins was a four-time All-Star with the Sixers, averaging 17.9 points in a career marred by injuries. A knee injury forced him to retire in 1981, two years before the 76ers beat the Lakers for the 1983 NBA title. Collins was an Olympic star but he was denied a gold medal by the loss to the Soviet Union in the 1972 Munich Games. His work as an NBA broadcaster took him to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. After the U.S. team won the gold medal, LeBron James jumped over the scorer's table, embraced Collins and said, ``This is for you.'' Collins was so moved he had to put down his microphone. ``Then they brought me out on the floor and put the gold medal around my neck because they knew of my story in 1972,'' Collins said in September. Collins received the Curt Gowdy Media Award at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September. ``He actually did the Phoenix series when I had 40,'' Brand said, referring to the 2006 series when he was with the Clippers. ``He's seen it firsthand. He was right there. He had one of the best seats in the house. He knows what I'm capable of and I'm definitely still capable of that.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super BowlThe AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East. Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around. The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win. To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana Should be in: Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it? Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel. Work left to do: Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third. Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim. Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either. Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim. For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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