Stephen A. Smith has reported that the Philadelphia 76ers have parted ways with coach Maurice Cheeks .
Maurice Cheeks
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Stephen A. Smith has reported that the Philadelphia 76ers have parted ways with coach <m> Maurice Cheeks </m> .
Stephen A. Smith has reported that the Philadelphia 76ers have parted ways with coach <m> Maurice Cheeks </m> .
The 76ers have a record of 9-14 and had been expected to be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference .
With its acquisition of free agent Elton Brand the lineup seemed to be become more solid especially in the middle .
But Brand has not found his rhythm in the offense and his numbers have been disappointing .
Some have said that instead of being the missing piece , that not unlike the Phoenix Suns , the team has missed its run and gun offense from last season .
When Philly landed a playoff spot near the bottom of the East 's pile this past spring and then surprised the Pistons by taking the first two games from them in Detroit before losing the next four straight , there were high hopes for .500 + season and an upgrade in the playoff seedings .
With Brand 's arrival the hope turned into what fans thought was a reality .
Never before in NBA history have coaches fallen this early in the season in such numbers .
Veteran players know all too well that the security their union has fought for has created an imbalance of power on teams that do n't have a proven winner in the coaching seat .
When a player is paid tens of millions of dollars by a franchise , he is in the driver 's seat and if it comes down to a contest between that player and a coach who has n't won a title or has n't won a title in a long while , it 's not hard to know who has to go .
Do n't cry for Cheeks on the financial front. He has a guaranteed contract through the end of the 2009-2010 season .