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November 04 07
The Wilmington News Journal reports on Maurice Cheeks’ status in Philadelphia:

The contract is an issue because 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks is in the final season of his three-year deal, and there isn’t much expected from the Sixers this season. There is no word of an extension, no promises of anything.

My Quick Take: Larry Brown is lurking in the shadows. He has to be. After all, the stage is set for the opportunistic Brown to leave his consultant role with the 76ers and return as Philadelphia’s coach.

Mo Cheeks, the team’s current coach, has no contract for next season. Ownership has no plans to offer an extension, so Cheeks is serving out his final year as a lame-duck sideline boss.

This is a shame. The 76ers aren’t a lost cause. Far from it, in fact. Samuel Dalembert is a solid center, who can anchor a defense with his rebounding and shot-blocking. Andre Miller is a nice, past-first table-setter. And Andre Iguodala, if he signs an extension, will continue impressing with his stat-stuffing game.

They’ve got other pieces: Kyle Korver, Rodney Carney, and Louis Williams. None of this is lost on Brown, who wants to change his legacy after failing in New York.

For now, Cheeks will continue being the good soldier; he has always taken bullets for others. Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Andrew Toney were credited with leading the 1982-83 Sixers to the NBA Title. And Cheeks’ anthem-singing, good guy approach didn’t matter in Portland; the team fired him for the Jail Blazers’ off-court antics.

Things won’t be different this time around with the 76ers. Cheeks and the team will part ways. And the man who hired Cheeks, GM Billy King, may be out of work, too. Expect Brown to recognize the opportunity, step-out of the shadows, and position himself back on Philadelphia’s sideline.

Will Brown replace Cheeks? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts.

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