<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">When the Philadelphia 76ers hired native son Maurice Cheeks in May of 2005 to become their fifth head coach in the last three seasons, I distinctly remember writing a column for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun that focused, not so much on Cheeks? hiring, but on many of the comments that general manager, Billy King and chairman, Ed Snider, made that day and my personal feelings on the entire situation ? including, speculating on what would happen if things started to go sour in South Philly. Well, the Sixers? season has pretty much been one big sour apple and now they are fighting for their lives to earn the eighth and final spot for the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, whether they make the playoffs ? and suffer what will most likely be a first-round sweep at the hands of the Detroit Pistons ? it is painstakingly clear that the Sixers have some big problems. First and foremost, the Sixers have absolutely no inside presence. Age and injuries have reduced power forward, Chris Webber to a jump-shooting shell of his former self. Samuel Dalembert isn?t worth half of the money he and his agent robbed the Sixers for this past offseason and the team?s best frontcourt player right now, Steven Hunter, doesn?t even start although he clearly has been a better fit in the middles for the Sixers. And don?t let me get started on the supposed reasons why former head coach, Jim O?Brien got fired ? a lack of developing the team?s younger players and a lack of commitment on defense. "In the interview process with Jim, there were a lot of things that we talked about," King said last May. "But in watching the season, evaluating our young players' development and evaluating our style of play, it wasn't something I was comfortable with. In looking at the development of some of them, yeah, I wasn't pleased. Some of the criteria on our defense wasn't there.? <font color=""red"">Hey Billy, guess what? This team still plays atrocious defense and several of the team?s younger players have yet to develop. As a matter of fact, I think it?s always going to be hard to develop when the team?s best young player, Andre Iguoadala, gets a whopping eight shots per contest. Ditto for Kyle Korver who has actually gone backwards after his eye-opening rookie season a couple of years ago.</font> <font color=""red"">Now I have heard from several sources that many of the team?s players have not only tuned Cheeks out, but assistants, Henry Bibby and Moses Malone as well. </font>All I can say is it?s a sad day when young players don?t want to hear anything from either of these three former players ? especially Malone who could probably still school every big man on the Sixers? roster. <font color=""red"">However, according to King and Snider last summer, if any players has a problem with Cheeks, he will quickly be on his way out of Philadelphia.</font> <font color=""red"">?If players have problems with Mo Cheeks ... then there's got to be something wrong with those players," King said.</font> <font color=""red"">"We do not want to change coaches [again]," Snider said. "We've seen enough coaches."</font> Even Iverson, who has openly feuded with several of his coaches in the past, couldn?t have been happier with Cheeks? arrival in the ?City of Brotherly Love.? <font color=""Red"">"If you got a problem with Mo Cheeks, there must be something wrong with you," Iverson said. "I got all these fingers and no rings on them. I'm willing to do anything to win a championship. I'll run through a wall if Mo tells me to."</font> </div> link: http://www.blackathlete.net/artman/publish...cle_01729.shtml
