A few weeks ago I wrote that Maurice Cheeks had done a good job of holding the Sixers together through adversity.

Wednesday he was rewarded for that, and for the progress the young players have shown, by having his contract extended for a year.

That was the right move, too. Ed Stefanski took a cautious approach. He likes what he's seen so far from Cheeks, but he doesn't know enough to make a long-term commitment. For instance, how will Cheeks relate to the veteran players Stefanski brings in? So the one-year deal is basically a wait-and-see attitude, which is smart. How many times do you need to see a coach extended for three years only to be fired with two years left? Talk about wasting money, and the Sixers had been masters at it.

Cheeks knows exactly what this is, too, and he seems all right with it. He talked about "the possibility" of coming back next season, so he knows how fluid the business of basketball is, how quickly things can change.

If the Sixers finish strong, Cheeks will have a chance to continue with this group he's nursed along for a year and a half now. If they don't, he gets a nice parting gift in that one-year deal.

Stefanski hasn't made a lot of moves since he was hired in early December, but so far the two he's made have been right on target.

Is it OK to be cautiously optimistic about where the Sixers are going?