KGW-TV reported that Kevin Pritchard, the team's director of player personnel, was named interim head coach.

It has been rumored that Cheeks was on the way out for several months, although it was thought that because he wasn't fired by the All-Star break he would serve out the rest of the season.

But the team continued to slide, losing 103-93 to the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night.

The Blazers (22-33) were in 12th place in the Western Conference, six games back of the Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot.

The Blazers went 41-41 last season, missing the playoffs for the first time in 22 seasons.

Cheeks, who played in the NBA for 15 seasons, was named head coach of the Blazers in 2001 to replace the fired Mike Dunleavy.

When Cheeks came to Portland he was expected to turn around a team known for internal bickering. He is near the end of a four-year contract worth an estimated $12 million.

But the team's troubles have continued.

Some of their players had been cited for marijuana possession. One of them, forward Rasheed Wallace, was also suspended by the league for seven games for threatening a game official on the loading dock of the Rose Garden. Forward Zach Randolph was suspended by the team for punching Ruben Patterson during practice, bloodying his face.