Cheeks back in Philly, but this time as coach

PHILADELPHIA -- Maurice Cheeks is in transition again, trying to go from popular point guard on the Philadelphia 76ers' last championship team to popular coach on their next one.

After spending 11 seasons as one of the most beloved fan favorites in franchise history and another seven seasons as an assistant under Larry Brown, Cheeks is returning to Philadelphia -- this time calling the shots from the bench instead of the floor.

In a surprising move nearly three weeks following the end of their season, the Sixers fired Jim O'Brien on Monday after one season as coach and replaced him with Cheeks, who was fired this year after nearly four seasons as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

"One thing Mo says is, `I'm coming back, not as Maurice Cheeks the player, but I'm coming back to do the job as a coach and not hang my hat on what I did in the past,'" Sixers president Billy King said.

Cheeks will be introduced as Philadelphia's 21st head coach at a Tuesday news conference. Terms weren't announced.

Philadelphia is certainly banking on the former point guard to have a happier homecoming than O'Brien, a Philadelphia native who played for Saint Joseph's. O'Brien's stubbornness and seemingly unwavering belief in a system that didn't fit his players cost him his job despite a 43-39 record and a return to the playoffs.

"You've got to look at the style of play and the players and make the system work for them, not force them to work for the system," King said.

O'Brien just finished the first year of a multiyear deal that paid him about $4 million a year. O'Brien, though, wasn't very popular with his players, who often complained about their roles.

King said after the Sixers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Detroit that he planned to bring O'Brien back. After meeting with his players and other members of management, King had a change of heart and decided over the weekend he had to make a change.

Certainly, King knows a thing or two about making changes - Cheeks will be the fifth Sixers coach in four years under his watch. Brown left for Detroit following the 2002-03 season, and assistant Randy Ayers was promoted and fired 52 games into the 2003-04 season before he was replaced by Chris Ford.

Cheeks, who helped lead the Sixers to an NBA championship in 1982-83, was a four-time All-Star with Philadelphia and is still its career leader in assists and steals. Cheeks was part of the staff under Brown when they went to the NBA Finals in 2001 and developed a strong bond with Allen Iverson.

King wanted Cheeks for years and was the first choice to replace Brown when he quit and left for Detroit.

Two years ago, Portland denied King's request to interview Cheeks. But Cheeks always remained popular with Philly fans and was at the top of the Sixers' fans short list last year.