Mo Cheeks Headed For Another Raw Deal

No one seemed too confident in Maurice Cheeks' continued employment with the 76ers when Billy King recently made way for Ed Stefanski. Cheeks himself seemed quietly nervous. It appears Mo will stick for this season, but veteran observer of the Sixers Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News thinks Cheeks will be unfairly dismissed this summer.

If there indeed is a new coach next season, please don't look back and minimize the work Cheeks has done. He has gotten this group to play hard just about every night. He has been open to suggestions, ways to improve. He has had the players' backs, never publicly criticizing them, and they have given him what they have.

The problem is, they don't have enough.

To be clear, Jasner does not fault Stefanski for the predicted move; overall, it really is the unwinnable situation it appears to be. Which stinks, because this happened to Cheeks in Portland -- the franchise cleared out most of the trash, and Cheeks happened to go along to the landfill with it.

Is he a good coach? That's too hard to measure. He has done nothing to preclude future employement, though; Cheeks will be back in the league before you know it. And hey! He still has a job! This (Jasner's column and my post) sounds like a eulogy; meanwhile, Cheeks is taking the streaking Sixers through shoot-around. Let's revisit the subject in April.