Doug Collins to step down as Sixers coach

Chris Chambers/Getty Images/ZimbioThe buzzards were circling anyhow, so Doug Collins might as well make it easy on a hard-luck franchise after a difficult season.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doug Collins will step down at the season's end, informing team ownership of his intention to forego the final year of his four-year contract.

Philadelphia suffered a disappointing season that has the team at 33-47 with two more games left in the year. Philadelphia will finish ninth in the East, but a long way away from catching the eighth-seeded Bucks.

This was not how the year was supposed to go. The Sixers sensed that their team had gone as far as they could after getting the eighth seed and defeating a Derrick Rose-less Bulls team in the first round of the Playoffs in 2012. They moved to remake the roster and acquired Andrew Bynum to be the centerpiece of a young roster that still had tons of potential.

Drew Hallowell/Getty Images/ZimbioJrue Holiday emerged this year, making his first All-Star Team. But the Sixers failed to inspire much confidence. Several young players struggled to break through under Collins — most notably Evan Turner — and the players Philadelphia traded away for Bynum turned in strong seasons. That was mostnitceable in Nikola Vucevic's emergence in Orlando when he could not get off the bench in Philadelphia his rookie year.

It was overall disappointment in the City of Brotherly Love.

However, the Sixers still wanted Collins back for the final year of his contract, Wojnarowski reports. Collins, who is 61 years old, elected to step away. Wojnarowski reports that Collins may stay on with Philadelphia in an advisory role.

The best news is that Philadelphia gets to move forward and find a new coach almost immediately after the season ends. As for the franchise's future? That is in a lot more trouble.

Bynum is a free agent this summer and Sixers general manager Tony DiLeo may be moving on as well. Advisor Rod Thorn is also expected to take a step back.

About Philip Rossman-Reich

Philip Rossman-Reich is the managing editor for Crossover Chronicles and Orlando Magic Daily. You can follow him on twitter @OMagicDaily

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