Cheeks sees positives as Sixers are evolving

As he completed his second season as head coach of the 76ers, Maurice Cheeks remarked that it felt as if he had coached three or four different seasons in one.

During 2006-07, the Sixers lost Allen Iverson, the face of the franchise for the last 10 seasons, along with Chris Webber. In their place, young players mixed with a few veterans who struggled early but then improved to compile an 18-11 record after the all-star break.

Through the down times, Cheeks maintained a positive outlook and stayed in the players' corner as he tried to keep things afloat. Many players point to him as the reason the Sixers improved so much, from a record of 10-29 after an embarrassing Jan. 17 defeat at Memphis to a closing mark of 35-47.

After holding a final meeting Thursday with his players before they broke for the off-season, Cheeks sat down in his office at the Wachovia Center and discussed the year.

Question: After that disastrous game in Memphis, what were your thoughts? Did you have any hope that this was ever going to turn around?

Answer: It looked pretty grim. We had just lost to Toronto by about 20 [104-86] and then we went to Memphis and lost a very ugly game [118-102]. In that particular game, in the second half, I took out Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala. I went into the locker room after that game and I didn't beat them up, but I gave them a little piece of my mind. I knew I had to stay as positive as possible but that was probably the one game when I didn't. Then the next day, I turned back to a positive side. After that game, it looked so bleak. But I've always tried to figure out a way to find something good out of it. When I found out of that game was that both Andres were upset about coming out. The next game, they played even harder and that's what we needed. We stayed together.

Q: Was there a specific turnaround game that you felt like, hey, we're finally doing things the right way? Was it the Cleveland game (a 118-115 double overtime win in Cleveland on Jan. 24)?

A: That was the game because Andre Iguodala was going against LeBron James, and he made play after play after play. We were down in that game, and it was really amazing when we tied the game up. I had put Andre on one side of the floor, and he readjusted and came to the ball and made a three. We just kind of chipped away and chipped away and stayed together. Cleveland had been playing pretty good basketball at the time. That was the game where we started to feel our way, where we started putting ourselves together and give ourselves a chance.

Q: If things had turned out the way you had planned in training camp, with Iverson and with Webber, do you think you would have had a chance to see the young kids develop?

A: I don't think so. I always keep pointing to Andre Iguodala. I don't think we would have seen his versatility as a player if everything had stayed the same. He was so used to - and I was trying to break him out of it - someone else catching the ball and him running to the corner. He would go to the corner and stand there. Allen Iverson was such a great player, so he had the ball in his hands. So it's not his fault, it's just that Andre started growing later on. He started shooting the ball, rebounding the ball, passing the ball. He made some of the most incredible passes we've seen in a long time. But his ability to flourish happened when everything else happened.

Q: We don't know if Joe Smith is coming back next season, but could you talk about how Andre Miller and Smith helped this season and what you hope they can do beyond this season for you?

A: I can't even overestimate saying as much about Andre Miller as I've been saying. He's meant so much to this team because he understands the game. He's a selfless player. He understands about getting these young guys better and making them feel good about themselves in terms of getting them the ball in the right place. He has no ego.

As far as Joe Smith, nobody thought this guy was this good. He stepped in and became just so valuable. We kept him in the game many times in the fourth quarter because he could rebound, he could defend, he could make foul shots, he could make jump shots. More than anything, Andre Miller and Joe Smith are two professionals.

Q: If you can recall your feelings going into last year's off-season, are you more positive and more encouraged going into this off-season?

A: I'm more positive just based on the people. I can't say that enough. I'm thinking about Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Kyle Korver, Sam Dalembert. You talk about Sam playing 82 games. Not only did he play 82 games, he had a stretch of being as consistent as he has been. That's what's pretty exciting because we need a Sam Dalembert.

Q: I'm going to name a player, and I want to know what you would like to see [him] improve on and be able to do next season: Willie Green.

A: Willie Green could be so good. He's a tireless worker. He's come back from a year-long knee injury and I think next year he'll be a little better. He's got to drive the basketball. He can drive the basketball as well as anybody. He's got to be able to do that a little bit more.

Q: Finally, how confident are you that we'll be here talking next June about the upcoming NBA Finals?

A: If we're having a conversation in June, we're so good (laughs). I mean, that's the ultimate goal, to get there. We still have a lot of growth to do. We don't want to get lost there. I think when you realize you're still growing, you work a little bit harder. If you think you've already arrived, you stop working. So I think we've got to realize we've got a lot of work to do. The exciting part, as I said earlier, is the people and the type of players that we have.