Bye bye Jordan

Well it’s offical… we can all start singing. Na na na na….na na na na hey hey hey… goooooooooooood bye!

Peace Eddie Jordan! Here’s the article to make it legit!

Eddie Jordan’s brief career as 76ers coach will officially end Thursday.

Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the Sixers, will fire Jordan, in his first year with the organization, during a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, this according to a source close to the situation.

The Sixers, 27-55, finished their disastrous season on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena.Jordan’s imminent dismissal was reported in The Inquirer over a month ago.

Comcast-Spectacor will be obligated to pay Jordan for two more seasons, or approximately $6 million, through the 2011-2012 season; On June 1, 2009, Jordan signed a four-year contract, the final season of which was a team option.

Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski, who executed the three-week coaching search that resulted in Jordan’s hiring, is scheduled to make the announcement.

According to a source close to Stefanski, as of Wednesday he was continuing in his same capacity and had been given no indication he would be removed from that role.

Jordan’s firing marks the conclusion of a turbulent season, one in which Jordan never settled on a set player rotation and made a number of seemingly bizarre in-game moves and post-game comments.

Watching the post-game press conferences of Jordan was like watching his gradual, season-long undoing.

In October, Jordan came to the podium in a suit coat and tie, his put-together appearance reflecting what was still a hopeful, optimistic group. But with each passing week, Jordan’s tie became looser, the top button of his shirt became unbuttoned, and occasionally he went without a suit coat all together.

Jordan’s eyes grew dark circles around them and he often stopped offering an opening remark, saying only, “Go ahead”, and then waiting for the inevitable questions about another inevitable loss.

Those around and involved with the team said the locker room became just as disheveled, saying Jordan would not fine players for tardiness until around early March, which was approximately Game 60 of the 82-game season.

Asked about this philosophy, Jordan said: “Fining players wasn’t a big deal for me, simple as that.”
One team source said the players started “whispering” about having to impose their own fines for lateness if Jordan wouldn’t do it.

“I guess I think there were some incidents with guys coming a little late and things like that,” center Samuel Dalemebert, twice benched for lateness, said of the latter-season attempt at discipline. “I think the coach, because it was happening with so many guys, that coach became a little more enforcing with it.”

“I think they tried to respect Eddie in the beginning and then he lost them,” said one team source. “They never really grasped it.”

Jordan arrived with his Princeton Offense, which both he and Stefanski said were a perfect fit for the Sixers’ roster. By December, with the ill-fated re-signing of point guard Allen Iverson that some folks within the organization labeled “desperate”, Jordan’s offense had been buried beneath Iverson’s one-on-one game and a low team basketball-IQ.

Those close to the players said that the environment became less and less disciplined, with players wielding more authority than Jordan.

“They weren’t working anymore,” said the team source. “They checked out just after the all-star break.”
Jordan disputed those claims until the very end, always touting the effort and character of his team despite posting a record of 7-23 after the all-star break.

Jordan called the report of his team’s inner turmoil “total crap.”

“Guys just put it out there, ‘Your team is not listening,’” Jordan said after the initial Inquirer report on March 10. “It’s total crap.”

Continued Jordan: “Our team is working hard, they’re good character guys in there. Like all teams, once in a while, they just need a kick in the pants and motivation and positive thoughts.”

The Sixers were Jordan’s third head coaching position in the NBA: He coached the Sacramento Kings from 1996-98 and the Washington Wizards from 2003-09.

Jordan was fired from both his previous positions.

When hired by the Sixers, Jordan’s lifetime record was 230-288. Entering Wednesday night’s game, that record had dipped to 257-343.

A great day to be a Sixer fan right now. We will see what comes of this I predict Larry Brown / Avery Johnson… maybe Stan Van Gundy? one of those 3 will make me happy.

Pisses me off though that we will have to still pay Eddie Jordan over the next 2 years.