<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">In his excitement over returning to Philadelphia as a head coach, Maurice Cheeks also was thrilled to have Jim Lynam, his longtime coach, mentor and friend, as his right-hand man on the bench once again. But the exhilaration gave way to concern. Citing health problems, Lynam took a leave of absence from the 76ers in training camp, figuring he could have his medical questions answered, get well, and return to the team before too long. That hasn't happened, however. Doctors have not been able to pinpoint what is wrong, and Lynam, who has served the Sixers as a head coach and a general manager, said yesterday that he was stepping down as the team's assistant coach for the remainder of the season. He would not disclose the nature of his illness. "I haven't been there the whole year, and I felt I had to step away," Lynam said from his home in Media. "I wasn't right" in the preseason, he said. "It was affecting my work. I just couldn't do what I normally do. When I stepped away, I hoped I could get over this thing and come back. But [doctors] are no further along to resolving this thing, and it's not fair for me to drag this on." Lynam, 63, would not speculate on his future in coaching. Cheeks, who played two seasons for Lynam during their time together with the Sixers in the late 1980s, employed Lynam as his assistant coach during his 31/2 years as head man of the Portland Trail Blazers. He said he heard from Lynam last week regarding his plans to step down. "For me, it's a pretty sad moment because I played for Jim, and I've been around Jim coaching," Cheeks said. "He's always been a part of my coaching. He's been a guy who's been through every situation imaginable. Any time something happened on or off the court, he would either beat me to coming to ask him what I should do, or I would be going to him. That's the reason he's going to be missed so much."</div> <div align="center"> Source</div>
