Business as usual for Bulls even with the addition of Doug Collins

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Broadcaster Doug Collins talks before the Los Angeles Lakers play the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference basketball finals, Thursday, May 29, 2008 in Los Angeles. Collins, who guided the Chicago Bulls and a young Michael Jordan from 1986-89 but couldn’t get them past Detroit Pistons in the playoffs, has talked with the team about returning as coach. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian) ORG XMIT: CAKJ101

General manager Gar Forman isn’t going anywhere, so Bulls fans shouldn’t get too excited.

‘‘Gar’s claws are in everything,’’ a Bulls source said in a phone conversation Tuesday. ‘‘Coaches, scouting, staff, you can’t say anything in that building without it getting back to [Forman].

‘‘Nothing changes with [the front office].’’

That’s not exactly true.

There’s at least a new name for disgruntled fans to add someday to the Fire Gar/Pax billboard. The organization hired former coach and NBA lifer Doug Collins, giving him the title of senior adviser of basketball operations.

According to vice president of basketball operations John Paxson, Collins will report directly to him, working as a third set of eyes, as the organization starts its latest rebuild. Collins, 66, insisted he only will be a mentor.

On the outside, it might appear that Collins has been brought in to neutralize Forman or possibly to succeed coach Fred Hoiberg, but the Bulls put those notions to rest quickly.

‘‘[Collins] doesn’t want to coach, he doesn’t want to make [front-office] decisions,’’ Paxson said.

Collins — who has been working as an ESPN analyst the last four years, as well as keeping a close eye on the Northwestern basketball team coached by his son, Chris — reiterated that he’s only there to provide more ideas.

He made that clear to Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf before accepting the position.

‘‘Under no circumstances am I going to coach here, so that should not even be a question,’’ Collins said.

‘‘And I’m sure there are still going to be people who say, ‘Yeah, Coach, how many times did this guy retire and come back?’ I get that, but I’m not going to coach.’’

So Forman is safe to continue with his machinations.

In the last four years, staff members have had phones and laptops confiscated a handful of times to check for criticism and media leaks, according to multiple sources. Several players have said they no longer could trust members of the coaching staff because of information that was relayed to Forman.

Even outside media members aren’t safe.

Forman was so angry with ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy’s on-air criticism during the 2014-15 season that he confronted Van Gundy in a bathroom at halftime of a game ‘‘while [then-assistant general manager] Randy Brown guarded the door,’’ one witness said.

The Sun-Times reported in 2015 that Paxson was aware that Forman used scouting trips to tell anyone who would listen that missteps by the front office were all Paxson’s doing, yet there were no repercussions.

‘‘What’s disappointing is that John knows what [Forman] is up to, says he’s going to put a stop to it, then goes on hiatus for a month, and nothing,’’ the source said.

So the idea that Collins somehow is going to clean up the Bulls’ mess is misguided.

The only way Forman will be out of a job is if the Reinsdorfs decide it’s time.

Follow me on Twitter @suntimes_hoops.

Email: jcowley@suntimes.com

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