Stephen A. Smith | Whatever happens, Brown will return

If you want to waste time cheering a victory over the Phoenix Suns, ignoring the fact that they were playing their second game in two nights, and enjoy the idea that the 76ers played a good game for a change, help yourself.

But once the euphoria dissipates and reality comes knocking, the Sixers will still be a team that considers mediocrity a compliment and is without enough blocks to build upon, although it is striving and progressing for a coach, Maurice Cheeks, who will probably be out the door the second the season expires.

It's the unspoken expectation around the Wachovia Center these days, but an expectation reverberating around the Sixers nevertheless: The second this season is over, the second team chairman Ed Snider and his cronies finish scribbling notes from whatever public relations firm they retain, all of Cheeks' effort and dedication will be thrown to the wayside in favor of that familiar old coach who loves to preach about playing the right way.

That will occur even though some observers swear the old coach stops practicing such things the minute a few million dollars is waiting at his door.

With stock options, of course.

"I don't even think about anything like that," Cheeks explained. "All I think about is coaching this team, doing my job day-to-day. I don't worry about whether I'm staying or going - who's coming, who's going. It makes no sense. It's a waste of time, especially when you have a job to do, which is all that I'm focused on."

So be it.

Still, Larry Brown's spirit hovers over this franchise like another hit HBO special from comedian Chris Rock.

Rock hasn't been seen in a while. He hasn't been heard from in a while, either, unless you watch I Hate Chris! But he's coming eventually, and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Keep thinking this doesn't apply to Brown, then call the rest of us when you wake up.

As he has so many other times, Cheeks made a case for being the Sixers' coach of the future last night, against a team on a historic mission. The Suns entered the game trying to become the first team in NBA history to sweep its interconference road schedule, possessing a 14-0 record against the East.

Partly because of Shawn Marion's absence, which resulted from a bruised hand and quadriceps, and partly because of a developing Sixers squad, the Suns departed with the same amount of interconference losses in a season that the Sixers posted in their 1982-83 championship campaign, in which they were 11-1.

"The good thing about [Cheeks] is that he's got his guys playing hard," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said after the game. "As far as a coach, that's all you can do. You have your talent, you play hard, then you're kind of a victim of how good you are talent-wise. He has them playing hard and smart, and it seems like that group is together.

"So as a coach, you take what it is. You don't worry about the record at this point. You just try to make guys better. That's what [Cheeks] is doing. It's what we did three years ago in Phoenix: make a couple of good choices in the summertime, then you're off and running. But he's doing his job for sure. Real well!"

That would matter under normal circumstances, but these are the Sixers, Mr. Snider's team, where the only thing normal is abnormality.

You lose and it's OK. You schmooze and you're loved. Records, productivity and results, while important, take a backseat to familiarity and comfort.

There is no crime in being this way, especially when you're the boss, when loyalty from subordinates is paramount. But as much as Cheeks may be liked by Snider (who was in attendance last night), not only is he not Billy King, the president, general manager and virtually adopted son. He isn't the beloved Larry Brown, either.

"I love the way things are going," Cheeks deadpanned, refusing even to entertain the subject of his future, or that of others. "I love our young guys. You see the progress of Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert obviously getting better. But I can't say enough. These guys have tremendous potential, along with Kyle Korver and others. We've got a point guard in Andre Miller who's making guys better. I'm happy to be a part of all this. Proud of it, and looking forward to whatever the future brings."

So are a lot of folks witnessing these players. Imagine the possibilities if a Greg Oden or Kevin Durant landed in Philadelphia next season.

King certainly is. But so is Brown, who has been seen at a lot of Villanova games, including last night's contest in Connecticut.

Irrelevant?

Please, people. Open your eyes.

Especially you, Coach Cheeks.