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Sixers can take cue from KnicksThe New York Knicks may have ended with four losses from four attempts against the New Jersey Nets, but as Stephen A. Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes at least they, unlike the Sixers (or most other teams for that matter) were there. Too often a team will be stuck in the middle of mediocrity, standing pact with the same, underachieving players while at the same time pleading for patience by their fans. Rebuilding usually means a long, painful trip of futility. That was before Isiah Thomas took over the helm of the Knicks in December, transforming a frustrating team stuck in the middle of no where into a team confident of making some noise in the playoffs in four short months. Taking over in December Thomas was anything but gun shy, making deal after deal to the point where even the most faithful Knick fan were nervous. Thomas took risk after risk, replacing the coach and most of his team to reignite interest in his team. Wins often do this. "When Steve and [MSG chairman] James L. Dolan made the call for me to come, I knew what challenges were ahead, but I couldn't turn it down," Thomas said. "I knew the salary-cap situation. The players that were on this roster. The losing, the lessening fan support, the feeling that this was a franchise heading down the wrong path. I knew I had to be creative to turn this thing around. "In life, there are always reasons for why something can't work. But there are always reasons why something can. Most times, people who fail in life are usually the ones who seem as if they're scouring the earth to find obstacles instead of the solutions to overcoming them. I don't. That doesn't mean I'll always succeed." He may not always succeed, but that does not mean that he will ever stop trying to achieve his ultimate goal, which is to bring a championship to the City of New York. He is far from done yet. Will Thomas go after Kobe Bryant, or come calling for Iverson? Will he try to maneuver a three-way deal for either, or just go after Tracy McGrady? "I'm going to do something, I can tell you that," Thomas said, defiantly. "We're after a championship. That should be everybody's goal." New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets 76ers quickly find a coach: O'BrienJim O'Brien wasn't unemployed for long. On Tuesday, the former head coach of the Boston Celtics was hired by the Philadelphia 76ers as their new head coach. A press conference is scheduled for 3p.m. on Wednesday at the Wachovia Center to introduce O'Brien to the media. O'Brien's contract is a multi-year deal believed to be worth at or more than $3 million a season. O'Brien was 139-119 with the Celtics, which was his only NBA head coaching job until this one. The Portland TrailBlazers are relieved that the 76ers didn't come after their coach Maurice Cheeks, who Portland denied Philadelphia to talk to last year. "Now we can go about our business without further distraction," Blazers general manager John Nash said last night, adding that persistent speculation about Cheeks "was baseless because Philly never asked us about Maurice Cheeks." Chris Ford, who became the team's interim head coach after Randy Ayers was fired on February 10, is interested in staying with the team and plans on to chat with 76ers president and general manager Billy King about that possibility. Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Sixers Hire New Head CoachThe Philedelphia Sixers announced the signing of Jim O'Brien On Tuesday night. O'Brien replaces interim head coach Chris Ford, who replaced Randy Ayers on Feb 10th when he was fired by the team. O'Brien, who stepped down as head coach of the Boston Celtics on January 27th, left the Celtics due to conflicts with general manager Danny Ainge. A press conference has been scheduled for 3 p.m. on Wednesday, where the Sixers will formally introduce him as their new head coach. This will be the second head coaching job for O"Brien. he was 139-119 in three years with the Celtics. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Sixers Apr 2004 Archive
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