[97fan]

My guess is that Collins coming out of the closet during the off-season led to a delay in him being signed, but not because of homophobia. If he'd been signed at the start of the season, there would have been pressure to play him in games, even though he's essentially a twelfth man at this stage of his career. It would have been a bit awkward if he made a roster and then just rode the pine all season.

Collins was finally signed when the Nets needed a big man, and were desperate enough to give non-garbage-time minutes to him. Sounds like he played pretty well last night, which is fantastic.

[97fan]

My guess is that Collins coming out of the closet during the off-season led to a delay in him being signed, but not because of homophobia. If he'd been signed at the start of the season, there would have been pressure to play him in games, even though he's essentially a twelfth man at this stage of his career. It would have been a bit awkward if he made a roster and then just rode the pine all season.

Collins was finally signed when the Nets needed a big man, and were desperate enough to give non-garbage-time minutes to him. Sounds like he played pretty well last night, which is fantastic.