The reasons behind Billy King's dismissal in Philadelphia were hardly questioned; the timing has been seen as odd, though. Some (myself included) wonder why it didn't happen when King's final experiment (Allen Iverson + Chris Webber) blew up masterfully; others (such as King himself) wondered why the boss wasn't able to carry out his rebuilding plan. Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen (via Sixers Shots) might have an answer. One league source reports that team chairman Ed Snider was pushing for Larry Brown to reclaim control of the Sixers from coach Maurice Cheeks. Some within the organization sensed that the coup would happen before the end of the season.Essentially, Larry Brown planned a coup attempt through Snider, but Snider's fellow board members didn't want to pay/deal with L.B. again, so Luukko took over to keep L.B. out of the picture while (hopefully) restoring order to the front office? Wow. Months ago, I noted Brown had improbably become something of an NBA leper. I had no idea it was this bad, where the mere possibility of Brown taking over costs other people their jobs.
But the rest of the Comcast-Spectacor ownership board didn't like the highly expensive idea of restoring Brown to power, which is why Comcast president Peter Luukko appears to have been granted new control over the 76ers. It was Luukko who made the initial call that wrested Stefanski from the Nets.
Thomsen said sources believe Brown will be a coach somewhere else by next fall. But seriously: Who's going to hire him? He's divisive, high-maintenance, and probably $10 million a year. Chicago? Atlanta? Washington? I don't see it. And does this mean anything for Maurice Cheeks, who doesn't seem very confident? I'd guess he'll stay on through the season, so long as he doesn't step in Ed Stefanski's path. But he should probably load up the inkjet and spell check that resume just in case.
