Most frustratingly, after a wasted year under the wrong head coach, Collins takes over a team that is a mystery even to those in its front office. General manager Ed Stefanski and his staff don't really know if the current roster can develop into something good and, after step-back years for some key components, are confused about the potential of more than a few players.
"There's no way you can tell me Thaddeus Young is not a good basketball player," Stefanski said, picking out one example. "I traded [Kyle] Korver in order to get him on the floor and he responded. Then, to go where he was last year doesn't make any sense at all. It just doesn't make sense."
There are a handful of players like that, and a lot of questions that need to be asked and answered. If you stick Andre Iguodala at the small forward position and leave him there, will his production improve? Can Elton Brand still be a useful player, maybe as a high-post center? Is Marreese Speights the worst defender in history, or just a kid who needs the proper motivation?
Collins has been hired to find all the answers. He intends to get everything he can from the current players, and to figure out which ones should be invited to stick around. This will not be a quick process and the goals are simple at the moment.
"You find out who in this group is capable of starting on teams with a chance to be really, really good. I won't know that until I get in the gym with them," Collins said. "We're not ready to be a championship team right now. We're just talking about the Sixers being relevant again."
