ROYC75
03-02-2005, 02:12 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2003212
The Portland Trail Blazers fired coach Maurice Cheeks Wednesday, as the team dropped further out of playoff contention with losses in seven of its last nine games.
Kevin Pritchard, Portland's director of player personnel, will be Portland's interim coach.
Cheeks' Blazers Story
First two seasons Last two seasons
Win. Pct. .604 .460
Scoring 95.9 ppg 91.4 ppg
Longest win streak 12 games 5 games
Playoff trips Two None
It has been rumored that Cheeks was on the way out for several months, although it was thought that because he wasn't fired by the All-Star break he would serve out the rest of the season.
But the team continued to slide, losing seven of their last nine games, including a 103-93 loss to the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night.
The Blazers (22-33) were in 12th place in the Western Conference, six games back of the Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot.
The Blazers went 41-41 last season, missing the playoffs for the first time in 22 seasons.
Their next game is Friday against the Indiana Pacers.
Cheeks, in his fourth season with the team, led the Blazers to the first round of the playoffs in his first two seasons.
He played in the NBA for 15 seasons and was named head coach of the Blazers in 2001 to replace the fired Mike Dunleavy.
When Cheeks came to Portland he was expected to turn around a team known for internal bickering. He is near the end of a four-year contract worth an estimated $12 million.
But the team's troubles have continued.
Some of their players had been cited for marijuana possession. One of them, forward Rasheed Wallace, was also suspended by the league for seven games for threatening a game official on the loading dock of the Rose Garden. Forward Zach Randolph was suspended by the team for punching Ruben Patterson during practice, bloodying his face
The Portland Trail Blazers fired coach Maurice Cheeks Wednesday, as the team dropped further out of playoff contention with losses in seven of its last nine games.
Kevin Pritchard, Portland's director of player personnel, will be Portland's interim coach.
Cheeks' Blazers Story
First two seasons Last two seasons
Win. Pct. .604 .460
Scoring 95.9 ppg 91.4 ppg
Longest win streak 12 games 5 games
Playoff trips Two None
It has been rumored that Cheeks was on the way out for several months, although it was thought that because he wasn't fired by the All-Star break he would serve out the rest of the season.
But the team continued to slide, losing seven of their last nine games, including a 103-93 loss to the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night.
The Blazers (22-33) were in 12th place in the Western Conference, six games back of the Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot.
The Blazers went 41-41 last season, missing the playoffs for the first time in 22 seasons.
Their next game is Friday against the Indiana Pacers.
Cheeks, in his fourth season with the team, led the Blazers to the first round of the playoffs in his first two seasons.
He played in the NBA for 15 seasons and was named head coach of the Blazers in 2001 to replace the fired Mike Dunleavy.
When Cheeks came to Portland he was expected to turn around a team known for internal bickering. He is near the end of a four-year contract worth an estimated $12 million.
But the team's troubles have continued.
Some of their players had been cited for marijuana possession. One of them, forward Rasheed Wallace, was also suspended by the league for seven games for threatening a game official on the loading dock of the Rose Garden. Forward Zach Randolph was suspended by the team for punching Ruben Patterson during practice, bloodying his face