But here is the dilemma facing Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski as he decides DiLeo's fate:
The question for Stefanski is not whether DiLeo has earned the opportunity. The question is whether he believes DiLeo is the coach who can lead the Sixers to an NBA championship.
That's the mind-set this franchise has to have in moving forward. Everything it does has to be directed toward bringing a championship to Philadelphia within 3 to 5 years.
That's what Stefanski was brought here to do. That's why he committed nearly $200 million in salary to Brand, Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams. That's why he's going to pour a ton of cash at the fabulous potential of forward Thaddeus Young, why he'll make a run to keep point guard Andre Miller, and negotiate the waters of the salary cap to acquire more talent through creative trades and free-agent signings.
This is Stefanski's organization. He has a vision for what he thinks it is capable of and how he can get it there.
That's why the decision on DiLeo has to be looked at in a much colder view.
It's not about what DiLeo has done. It's about what you think he can do.
Stefanski already went through this when he inherited Cheeks as coach after taking over for Billy King on Dec. 3, 2007. To his credit, Stefanski felt obligated to give Cheeks a fair evaluation period.
But Cheeks was never Stefanski's coach.
Things got more complicated when Cheeks surprisingly took the Sixers to the playoffs.
Stefanski couldn't fire a popular figure from Sixers' lore who had done what was asked of him. He gave Cheeks a 1-year extension, then fired Cheeks after the Sixers started 9-14 to began this season.
Enter DiLeo.
