Collins Opts for Job Stability

Things could be different for Doug Collins. He could still be coaching in the minefield known as the NBA’s Eastern Conference and be on the verge of being fired.

Instead, he is announcing games for TNT, playing golf, watching Duke games on television, spending time with his wife and visiting his year-old grandson, Ryan, in Durham, N.C., where his son Chris is an assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski.

It seems he made the right decision when he chose to get back into television.

“I’m in a great spot in my life,” Collins, 52, said from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Thursday before hopping on a flight to Los Angeles to work TNT’s All-Star game coverage Sunday.

As a basketball analyst, he is generally regarded as the best in the business, and there’s no argument here about that. As a coach, well, he got fired from his last job. But just about every coach in the Eastern Conference gets fired.

Only one team of the 15 in that conference, the Atlanta Hawks, has the same coach it had at the end of last season.

“I’m not going back to coaching,” Collins said. “It’s in my contract that I won’t. I wanted to assure TNT that I was going to stick around.”

Collins signed a five-year contract with TNT in August, choosing a network he’d previously worked for over ABC, which wanted him as its lead NBA analyst.

Collins has an “out” in his contract after three years. He can explore an executive position with an NBA team, but a coaching position is still off-limits.

He said he never really wanted to go back into coaching with the Washington Wizards when he did. But when you’ve got Michael Jordan asking you to do it, it’s pretty hard to say no.

Asked about the rash of coaching changes, Collins said, “I think a big part of it is because the Eastern Conference is so down right now. There is a feeling among the teams that they are better than they are and that maybe they can catch lightning in a bottle and make the playoffs if they make a coaching change.

“You can’t get rid of all the players, so the only thing you can do is change the coach.

“There’s a little more job stability in television.”

No kidding.

“Another thing I like about television is that there is a team approach,” Collins said. “There are the announcers, the director, the producer, the stat guy and all the other people on a crew, and everyone cares as much as you do about winning.”

When Collins was hired by TNT, it initially was figured he would be paired with Marv Albert. But instead he was assigned to Kevin Harlan.

However, Collins will join Albert and Albert’s regular partner, Mike Fratello, for Sunday’s All-Star game. The three worked together for the first time Monday night, when TNT televised San Antonio at Houston as the second game of a doubleheader.

It was sort of a dress rehearsal for Sunday’s game. And the three clicked as if they’d been together for years. But one would expect that. This is an All-Star announcing team.

All-Star Notes

TNT’s All-Star weekend coverage begins tonight at 6 with the Rookie Challenge, pitting rookies against second-year players. The rookie team features Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, and the sophomore team will be led by Yao Ming. Dick Stockton, Steve Kerr and John Thompson are the announcers.... On Saturday at 9 a.m. is a “Read to Achieve” special. At 3 p.m. will be one hour of highlights from American Express’ Magic Johnson tribute Thursday night at the Shrine Auditorium. It featured Big Boi of OutKast, Jessica Simpson, Earth, Wind & Fire and a long list of sports celebrities. At 4 p.m. will be a retrospective of the last 20 years of All-Star festivities

TNT offers an All-Star game preview at 5 p.m. Saturday, followed at 5:30 by “All-Star Saturday Night,” which includes the dunk contest, the three-point shootout and the skills competition that includes Gary Payton.... Sunday’s coverage begins at 5 p.m., with the tipoff scheduled for 5:50.

ESPN will televise today’s All-Star celebrity game at 4 p.m. It features P. Diddy, Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah and Lisa Leslie. Wonder how Paris Hilton’s game is? But the real question is, can Roger Lodge of KMPC and “Blind Date” improve on his one-for-11 performance in last year’s game?

Sunday’s game will be televised in 212 countries, reaching a potential audience of 3.1 billion people.... Christina Aguilera will sing the U.S. national anthem, and Nelly Furtado will sing the Canadian national anthem.... Stockton and Thompson will be joined by newcomer Rex Chapman on TNT’s high-definition telecast of the game.

By Sunday night, NBA TV will have had more than 150 hours of All-Star programming.

There’s Still Time

It would have been nice if the NBA had invited Chick Hearn’s widow, Marge, to Sunday’s game. She told Fred Roggin on KMPC on Thursday she wasn’t going because she didn’t have a ticket. “But it’s OK,” she said. “I’m not important.” Hardly. If she were there, she’d probably get the loudest ovation.

Stern’s Views

During NBA Commissioner David Stern’s visit to The Times this week, the topic of ESPN’s “Playmakers” and the show’s cancellation came up. Stern was asked how the NBA would react to a similar show about a professional basketball team.

After a pause, Stern drew some laughter when he turned to an aide and said, “What’s my answer to that?”

He added, “It’s a tough one. I just think that, my own view -- and I appreciate everything that ESPN does -- is that there are always ways to get higher ratings by doing something.... I can’t explain it. It was a little bit of misdirection. By misdirection, I don’t mean to suggest -- it’s not their misdirection. It just didn’t feel right to see, sort of, ‘Sopranos Does ESPN.’

“You have to be careful, that’s all. They did a show on Dennis Rodman and we said, ‘You’re free to do it, but we’re not going to provide footage for it. You know, do what you’re going to do.’ ”

Regarding Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl halftime stunt, Stern said, “I’m a big believer in the 1st Amendment and artistic independence. So this is a difficult subject. But, you know, just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.”

In Closing

Phil Jackson was in Houston on Wednesday and not in L.A. listening to Roggin’s radio show, so he might have missed girlfriend Jeanie Buss’ guest appearance.

“I don’t have a ring on my finger, other than an NBA championship ring,” Buss told Roggin, adding, “I would like to be married.”

She also pointed out that Saturday would be Valentine’s Day.

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Times staff writer Mike Penner contributed to this column.