ESPN: Carlisle may not be going to Portland after all..

http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0531/1561530.html

Teams say report that 76ers can talk to Cheeks is wrong


ESPN.com news services




PHILADELPHIA -- As if the NBA coaching changes across the league aren't intriguing enough, now we have discrepancy regarding Maurice Cheeks' ability to speak to Philadelphia.

The Associated Press, citing an unidentified source, reported late Saturday that Cheeks had been granted permission to speak to the 76ers about their coaching vacancy.

But the Portland Oregonian reported that the Trail Blazers had not changed their stance at all from Wednesday, when they turned down the Sixers' request to speak to Cheeks.

And Sunday, the 76ers came out and said they haven't been given permission by the Blazers to meet with Cheeks, who still has one year left on his contract with Portland.

"The reports are 100 percent wrong," 76ers' President Billy King told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "When I spoke to the Blazers on Wednesday, we were denied permission to speak to Mo Cheeks. As of right now, nothing has changed."

The Detroit News, in Sunday's editions, reported that Portland would allow Cheeks to speak to the Sixers about the job left open Monday when Larry Brown resigned.

The Associated Press reported that its source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Portland changed its mind after Detroit fired coach Rick Carlisle on Saturday.

The Blazers denied those reports.

"We made our statement last week, and I can tell you that nothing has changed," Blazers spokesman Mike Hanson told the Oregonian.

Brown stepped down after six seasons in Philadelphia. He could be headed to Detroit as early as Monday.

Cheeks, who played for 11 seasons with the 76ers and was part of their 1983 NBA championship team, served as an assistant coach in Philadelphia for seven seasons, four under Brown.

However, he has one year left on his contract with the Blazers, along with a team option. Cheeks still has a home in Philadelphia. Though he took a diplomatic approach, he reportedly was angry the Trail Blazers wouldn't allow him to speak to the 76ers.

"Honestly, I kind of got a little sad about it because I wanted the opportunity to talk to them. It would have been great to talk to them,'' Cheeks said Thursday. "But at the same time it was a special feeling for me, because it said to me they wanted me to be here. They wanted to keep me around for a long, long time, I hope.''

etc..


edit: changed the title- I'm r****ded.. Of course he wouldn't be going to Detroit.