The return of Philadelphia's favorite son has certainly had its ups and downs. When he got here, the Sixers weren't very good. He and Allen Iverson had their problems, and the Sixers lost games. A lot of games. And it looked like Mo may be running out of chances.
But when Ed Stefanski showed up last season, he trimmed the fat from the roster and let Mo unleash the youth. Then Cheeks did exactly what he did during his career: He led his team to success. During his playing days, Cheeks ran the point on some great 76er teams, including manning the helm for this city's last champion. He retired as the all-time leader in steals and second in assists in the NBA, surpassed in both since.
Quite frankly, the biggest travesty in all of sports may be that Cheeks is not in the Hall of Fame. If Robert Parish, the clear third fiddle on those Boston teams is in the Hall, Cheeks certainly should be. Like I said, he retired as the all-time leader in steals and second in assists. Even now, he's fourth on the all-time list in steals, behind only John Stockton, Michael Jordan and Gary Payton, all sure-fire Hall of Famers.
And from the looks of it, he could be on a very successful coaching career as well. The Sixers made a great turnaround to make the playoffs last season, and they even gave the Pistons a little scare in the first round. Now Cheeks will get a chance to coach a complete team, and he deserves at least the two years he now has secured to help mold this team in his vision.
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