The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to terms with TV analyst Doug Collins to become their new coach, two people familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press.
The people spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not been made public. An official announcement was expected to come today.
One of the people familiar with the deal said Collins agreed to a four-year contract.
Team president Ed Stefanski interviewed Collins on May 1, and he emerged as the leading candidate to replace the fired Eddie Jordan. The pool of candidates included former Dallas coach Avery Johnson and Toronto coach Sam Mitchell.
Collins, 58, is 332-287 in coaching stints with Chicago, Detroit and Washington.
Mavericks: Team owner Mark Cuban has expressed interest in acquiring soon-to-be free agent LeBron James.
Cuban, in an interview with CNNMoney.com, said it would be tough to sign James, but a sign-and-trade deal with Cleveland is something he would look at.
If James does not reach a deal with the Cavaliers by July 1, he would become an unrestricted free agent.
Cuban's remarks could fall under the league's tampering rules.
Celtics-Magic: Two wins away from the NBA finals, the Boston Celtics have plenty of reasons to be confident.
But overconfident? Don't count on it, no matter what Paul Pierce said.
Before leaving the court after the Celtics took a 2-0 lead over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, Pierce looked straight into the camera and said in a live, 60-second television interview, "We're coming home and close it out."
Coach Doc Rivers wasn't pleased.
"I didn't like it," he said Thursday. "I don't mind the confidence part. That's good. You've got to have confidence, but we want to be humble, and we haven't achieved anything. I think that's what he was trying to say. ... I wish they had taken the mike away (before) the last couple of words."
The Celtics' 95-92 win in which Pierce scored 28 points sent them home with a chance to sweep the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals by winning Saturday and Monday nights.
