December 29, 2008

The firing of a head coach is often done in an attempt to give a team a shot of life. Letting the leader leave after just a few games is not always the most logical way to handle an underachieving group of players. Often, it is not the fault of said coach, but the error of the men on the court.

In the case of the Philadelphia 76ers, it appeared to be both. The leader was not leading, and the players were not playing. Something had to give and with the two franchise players (Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala) receiving large contracts prior to a season that was supposed to be promising, it was Maurice Cheeks that got the big, ugly axe.

It’s a business, the game of basketball in the NBA, and Mo Cheeks would be the first to tell you that. However, I’m not so sure Cheeks would let you believe it should be Tony DiLeo, and not he, roaming the sidelines for the Sixers. After starting off at 9-14, Cheeks was let go. General Manager Ed Stefanski could not wait for this wilted flower to bloom, so he pulled the plant out of the ground. He starts anew with a relative unknown in Tony DiLeo, but the spark is still not there.

During the first 25 games under Cheeks, the 76ers played stellar defense but struggled mightily on offense, a trait that was assumed to be a strong suit. It was a veritable roller coaster ride through those 25 games, with awful losses to Minnesota, Charlotte, and Toronto, all winnable games. On the other hand, wins against Detroit, Chicago, and New York gave this team a dash of hope that they could play decent basketball.

Now standing at 12-17 and 3-3 under DiLeo, those hopes have been, well, dashed. The DiLeo Era began with three wins in a row, all against sub-par opponents. Wins are wins in this league no matter who you play, and it looked promising to start; then came three losses in a row with Indiana, Boston, and Denver as the culprits. There has been no steady play, no consistency when it has been needed the most. Stefanski thought that was a part of the equation that had been lacking, but it still seems like a lost cause even after the coaching change.

So was this a good move?  I say absolutely not. Stefanski should have let things play out a bit longer, rather than make a rash decision based on wins and losses. It was an attempt to save himself, rather than help the team, because he has been the architect for the last year. Cheeks was the scapegoat for Stefanski’s shortcomings, and was canned, plain and simple. Hindsight is always 20/20, so you have to wonder if bringing in Brand and re-signing Iguodala to lucrative deals were wise moves.

In the grand scope of an NBA season, of course it will be about how many wins you come away with. But when you add a new star player and try to incorporate him into the system, it won’t take shape over night. Things went south with Brand in the lineup quickly, and the Sixers continued to falter. Cheeks was fired, Brand then went down with a major injury, and the Sixers are back to square one. If Cheeks had been allowed to stay aboard and see things through, it could have ended like last season. The Sixers went on a 17-12 streak to make it into the playoffs. Couldn’t that have happened again this season, after all of the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together?

Now, it seems we will never know. Cheeks is gone, DiLeo is in charge, Brand is on the shelf for at least a month and Andre Iguodala is struggling. The rest of the team is still trying to find its way. I have a feeling Stefanski may realize that letting Mo go was the wrong way.