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`STUNNED` ALBECK FIRED

The Bulls fired first-year coach Stan Albeck Monday and are close to signing his replacement, CBS-TV analyst Doug Collins.

Albeck, 55, left town with the fourth-best record among active coaches and more than a few choice words for his former bosses.

”I am stunned,” said Albeck, who spent the day conducting interviews criticizing the Bulls` management and cleaning out his office–which just happens to be located right next door to the office of vice president of operations Jerry Krause in the Bulls` complex at One Magnificent Mile. It was Krause and owner Jerry Reinsdorf who fired Albeck.

”I think the entire situation was very poorly handled,” Albeck said,

”and there was a lack of respect, dignity and sensitivity. I was honest. I never once singled them out in the media for any blame. I covered up for them. ”They have to have a scapegoat, but I don`t see how Jerry Reinsdorf could blame anybody for this year. Can you blame broken bones? Can you blame drugs? If I had robbed a bank or used drugs, I could understand it. Hey, even the guys who use drugs in this league get two chances.”

Reinsdorf said Monday that he and Albeck had a misunderstanding right from the start about how Reinsdorf wanted the Bulls to be coached.

”I thought we had a common understanding on the concept of how the game should be played,” Reinsdorf said. ”It was obvious through the course of the year we did not. I want a team without any one-on-one play, no isolations, very little dribbling, tenacious defense and movement without the ball. I want to see basketball played a certain way, like the Celtics or the Lakers. I put a lot of money into this team, and I want to try it.

”I blame myself totally for the lack of understanding,” Reinsdorf said. ”Here I am, a neophyte to the game. I can`t tell Stan to change his coaching style that has been so successful for him. My mistake was in not ascertaining this in the beginning.”

Albeck`s strategy of isolating Michael Jordan and Orlando Woolridge against the Boston Celtics almost paid off in game two of the Celtics` three- game playoff sweep of the Bulls.

”I think they`re unrealistic in their approach to NBA situations,”

Albeck said. ”I`ve had other coaches in the NBA say that was a helluva an idea, and some are adopting it. Houston is using it right now against the Lakers. I`ve coached every style of basketball, and to have Jerry Reinsdorf say he doesn`t share my basketball philosophy, well, that`s his prerogative. It`s also insightful about his NBA knowledge.

”My philosophy evolved from being an assistant coach for nine years and a head coach for seven. If Reinsdorf feels that strongly about his basketball philosophy, he should coach. He doesn`t need a coach.”

Reinsdorf said he ”fell in love” with Collins, 34, after a 3 1/2-hour meeting with the former 76er star last Friday in Arizona. He said they share the same philosophical approach to the game. But how was Collins different from Albeck?

”I learned something in all this,” Reinsdorf said. ”Last year when I interviewed Stan, I made the mistake of telling him first what I believed in and all about my basketball philosophy. Stan just relayed back to me what I said. This time, I made Doug talk first, and I discovered we share a common approach to the game.

”Stan is a competent NBA coach. What we did was traded a good coach for someone who could be a great coach for the next 10 years. Doug will play it differently, and we`ll find out if it`s a better way to play the game.”

Reinsdorf said he is hoping to sign Collins by the end of the week, perhaps Friday. Collins has to get out of contracts with CBS and with WPHL-TV in Philadelphia and also settle on a salary. Reinsdorf said he doesn`t foresee any problems.

”We`re close on the terms of his contract,” Reinsdorf said.

Collins` only coaching experience was two seasons as an assistant coach at Arizona State. Reinsdorf said that didn`t dampen his enthusiasm, pointing out that Laker coach Pat Riley made the transition from television analyst to coach.

”But Reinsdorf doesn`t realize Doug Collins is not walking into a situation like the Los Angeles Lakers,” Albeck said, referring to the difference between the Lakers and the Bulls in the standings.

The Bulls must pay Albeck $250,000 for the second year of his contract, which is guaranteed. A third year was at the Bulls` option.

”Stan is not being fired for the Bulls` 30-52 record,” Reinsdorf said.

”Even if Michael Jordan had been healthy, and we had won 45 games, I would have come to the same conclusion.”

”I feel betrayed from the standpoint that there was a wedge driven between myself and Reinsdorf by Jerry Krause,” Albeck said. ”I was never able to meet with Reinsdorf alone, and Krause told me I couldn`t contact Reinsdorf at home late at night or when he was in Tucson visiting his wife. I honored that request. I was led to believe we would have frequent meetings, and I think Jerry Krause prevented that from happening.

”I honored the fact that he was the general manager, and I never leap-frogged over anybody. Lots of times I covered up for his mistakes and briefed him on what was the right approach. He had been away from the league for five years, and everything had changed. I feel betrayed. Looking back, it was probably a mistake to trust him,” Albeck said.

”There was just a lot of interference by an overbearing personality. Krause would come into the locker room after games while I was meeting with the players. He had no business being there. There were press conferences held the night of a game. Right from training camp, I could tell it was a chaotic front office. There were all the gimmicks they thought to be possible solutions. The conditioning coaches, the sports psychologist. Remember when the psychologist told the players to `Lay down on the floor and think blue?”` Krause, whose position is ”completely secure” according to Reinsdorf, disputed Albeck`s charges.

”Stan is a man who has just been fired, and he is lashing out at me because I`m an available target,” Krause said. ”Stan and I were friends, and in my years away from the NBA (as a White Sox scout), Stan used to call me and ask for help with any problems he had. It`s not true that I prevented him from meeting with Jerry. All he had to do was pick up a phone. And, I felt I had a right to be in the locker room after games. As for him covering up for me, I think the opposite is true.”

Krause hired Collins in March to evaluate the team over a four-game period. He claims Collins was not a candidate to replace Albeck at the time.

”I wanted him to do a consulting thing for us because I respected Doug`s ability and basketball knowledge,” Krause said. ”I didn`t tell Stan about it because it was a scouting function, and Stan has nothing to do with it.”

”Yeah, but how often do you bring in a consultant who ends up taking your job?” Albeck said.