No matter the reason, Bulls much better off

Well, somebody's common sense finally prevailed.

Maybe everybody's prevailed.

Don't ask me who the Bulls' next head coach should be. Maybe general manager John Paxson will request permission to interview Big Brown if he wins the Triple Crown today.

A horse would be a better choice than Doug Collins, who conducts himself like a horse's petunia under the pressure of coaching.

Bulls/White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf spoke with Collins by phone and the result is Collins won't coach the Bulls again.

That conversation might have been as dramatic as the Obama-Clinton summit. The spin is that Collins withdrew from consideration because he and Reinsdorf are friends.

As spun as that sounds, it has merit. Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland both indicated they wouldn't return to Chicago to manage the Sox because their friendship with Reinsdorf would make it awkward.

Supposedly, Collins didn't want to put Reinsdorf in the uncomfortable position of hiring him as coach and then some day having to fire him.

My problem is I don't believe anything anybody says in sports.

I prefer to believe Reinsdorf finally thought about Collins' candidacy and said, "Why would I get back into something like this with somebody like that?"

Remember, Reinsdorf fired Collins as Bulls head coach 19 years ago because Collins' behavior became troublesome in and out of basketball.

My impression from the start of the recent flirtation was that rehiring Collins would be like Jennifer Aniston taking back Brad Pitt after their messy split 19 years earlier.

Seriously, the whole Bulls-Collins rekindling was silly. The potential for organizational mayhem was just too risky.

Remember, Reinsdorf already has to endure the Ozzie Guillen sitcom. Having to also deal with Collins could be a horror flick waiting to happen.

Maybe Reinsdorf deluded himself into believing history would repeat itself, Collins would self-destruct after three seasons, and then Phil Jackson would replace him again.

Interestingly, why Collins would consider being rehired by the Bulls was almost as baffling as why Reinsdorf would consider rehiring him.

This was a Collins production. He initiated contact. It's believed his agent leaked the talks, likely to Reinsdorf's displeasure. Indications were he wanted the Bulls more than Reinsdorf wanted him, even if the seemingly desperate Paxson was prepared to recommend him.

Seriously, why would Collins think these Bulls are the right team and this the right time to resume flipping out under the stress of NBA head coaching?

I know, I know, Collins became interested in the job after the Bulls won the NBA draft lottery.

You mean that was it? That was all it took after Collins had been telling people he was happy as a TV analyst and didn't intend to coach again? Suddenly he would change his mind and entire life for a 19-year-old point guard?

Here's one thought I wouldn't dismiss: Collins just might have peered beyond the bench and seen a front-office opportunity.

Paxson doesn't seem to view himself as a GM lifer, especially if the Bulls don't relieve his angst by starting to win real big real fast.

As somebody who never trusted Collins, I wouldn't put it past him to try to execute a Berto Center coup sooner than later.

Just a thought, but maybe talks ended when Reinsdorf realized his friendship was stronger with Paxson than it is with Collins.

mimrem@dailyherald.com