PHX Stan first reported the possible Collins signing last night. Now Paul Coro is also reporting the possibility of a Collins tryout. I suppose there is no need to jump the gun since we are not totally certain he will be a Sun, however, impatience is a hobby of mine. I put out posts on SLC Dunk and Blazer's Edge, AKA Bedge, to see what they all thought of Collins:
On the Positive Side:
- Smart, articulate guy who draws a lot of charges
- He is very consistent and will unfailing provide 6 fouls every game
- Won’t make any trouble, and is a warm practice body, can take charges, stand in the way and hand out fouls.
- What you can expect from him: lots of fouls, drawing charges/flopping (two sides of the same coin), and physical defense.
- He is a classy guy who will be a good presence in the locker room. He will work hard and do exactly as the coach tells him. He is not the most athletic big out there but he is not slow either. He would make a decent replacement. Don't expect many points or bounds…..if he was given 30min a game I would guess he would be anywhere around 8-10pts 5-6reb
Why He Didn't Make it in Portland:
- Because of a numbers game. He seems to be a smart dude with good character, but the only basketball reason to sign him is that you need another big body for practice.
- Mills (Patty) forced the Blazers’ hand. The front office opted for potential at a needed position rather than back-up for a filled position. Of course, this is all for a 15th roster spot. Collins isn’t that great, but he’s not a bad player to have on your bench for injury protection.
The Negative:
- He isn’t a player you want to rely on for anything more than insurance in case your other bigs get injured or in foul trouble.
- He is not a game changer, good shooter, good rebounder
- Like his brother, he is a historically bad rebounder for a big man. And doesn't do much on offense either.
Provided we pick up Collins, it seems fairly clear that his impact will be minimal, and perhaps his play will make Robin Lopez look like an All-Star when he gets back.