Sixers fire coach Eddie Jordan

On Thursday morning, less than 24 hours after the season's final game, the 76ers fired coach Eddie Jordan.

In a news conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski announced that he had "relieved" Jordan of his coaching duties.

Jordan was not made available for comment.

The Sixers, 27-55, finished their disastrous season, Jordan's first as coach, on Wednesday night with a loss to the Magic in Orlando.

"Obviously, what I thought would happen did not occur and the decision was not a right one," Stefanski said. "And that's why I made the choice to go now in a different direction to get someone here to get us on that right path."

Jordan's imminent dismissal was reported in The Inquirer more than a month ago.

Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the Sixers, will be obligated to pay Jordan for two more seasons, or approximately $6 million, through the 2011-12 season.

On June 1, 2009, Jordan signed a four-year contract, the final season of which was a team option.

Stefanski said he met Tuesday with Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider and the company's chief operating officer, Peter Luukko, both of whom supported the decision, the GM said.

"We're not starting over," said Stefanski, whose team failed to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. "We took a step backward this year; the first two years we were progressing correctly."

Stefanski said he would immediately begin the search for a new coach, saying he had "no time line" for finding Jordan's replacement.

It is still possible that Stefanski, who hired Jordan and made several failed personnel moves, will be fired, although a source close to Stefanski said that he is serving in his same capacity and has been given no indication he would be removed from that role.

There is reason to believe that a decision on Stefanski's future could be delayed until certain teams are eliminated from the NBA playoffs, most notably the Charlotte Bobcats, whose head coach, Larry Brown, could be a prime candidate to take over Stefanski's player-personnel duties.

Until that time, the latest coaching search remains Stefanski's.

"We're going to look at everybody: assistant coaches, college coaches, coaches with head coaching experience," Stefanski said. "That's why I said there's not going to be a time line here."

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 postgame comments.

"It didn't work out, it didn't fit," said Sixers power forward Elton Brand. "I think with the personnel we have, the offense could have been set up for what we have instead of bringing in a set offense in mind. Because that didn't really work for the pieces we have."

Watching Jordan's postgame news conferences was like witnessing his gradual, season-long undoing.

In October, Jordan went 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 undone, and occasionally he went without a suit coat altogether.

Jordan's eyes developed dark circles underneath and he often skipped an opening remark, saying only, "Go ahead," and then waiting for questions about what was often another loss.

"Overall, we were confused," said center Samuel Dalembert. "A lot of guys were confused. They didn't know exactly what was going to happen in a game."

Those around and involved with the team said the locker room became just as disheveled as Jordan's appearance, saying Jordan did 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," Dalemebert, twice benched for lateness, said of attempts at discipline later in the season. "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 would be a perfect fit for the Sixers' roster. By December, with the ill-fated re-signing of point guard Allen Iverson that some within the organization labeled "desperate", Jordan's offense had been buried beneath Iverson's one-on-one game and a low team basketball IQ.

"It's not all his fault," said swingman Andre Iguodala. "Players have to take some type of responsibility in that. Certainly myself and Elton, the two main guys on this team."

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 disputed reports about his team's inner turmoil.

"Guys just put it out there, 'Your team is not listening,' " Jordan said after the initial Inquirer report that he would be fired and had already lost the team. "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 job was Jordan's third NBA head coaching position. He coached the Sacramento Kings from 1996 to '98 and the Washington Wizards from 2003 to '09. Jordan was fired from both jobs.

When hired by the Sixers, Jordan's lifetime record was 230-288. That record has dipped to 257-344.

"We knew from the first two seasons I was here that we defined our image, our status in the league, as a team that would claw you to death, a team that's going to play a lot of defense, get up and down the court," said forward Thaddeus Young. "This season, we lost our energy, we didn't do any of those same things."