DiLeo enjoyed his 59-game stint as the interim coach of the 76ers . He even thought that, with a 32-27 record and a playoff appearance, he did a decent job.

"It was a tough decision," DiLeo said yesterday, explaining why he had withdrawn his name from consideration to return as coach. "When you are a head coach in the NBA, it is so demanding, timewise.

"Twenty-four hours, you're either preparing, watching film, practicing or thinking about the team and what you can do better. It was a situation that had I decided to continue to be a candidate, I would have looked at it for the next 3 or 4 years that this is what I want to do . . .

"That was a situation that right now in my professional and personal life I didn't want."

You can read tea leaves and read between lines if you want.

You can believe that Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski met with DiLeo on Monday, informed him he wasn't going to be the head coach, and the two came up with a way to let DiLeo gracefully move back into his former position as senior vice president and assistant GM.

I think you'd be misjudging DiLeo if you did that. I think that if DiLeo seriously wanted to remain the coach, he would have fought for the job.

He would have made his case to Stefanski and asked to remain in the running for consideration.

"[Being a head coach] is a great opportunity and I enjoyed it," DiLeo said, "but you have to do it for the right reason. To look at it as there are only 30 jobs and it's an opportunity would not be the right reason for me."

The guy doesn't want to be an NBA head coach right now.

DiLeo wasn't overwhelmed by the job.

Having previously been an assistant head coach, he wasn't caught off guard by the time-consuming nature of the position.

He wasn't bothered by the criticism he received from fans about his coaching style.

He wasn't hurt by the seeming revolt of some players after the Sixers' season ended with that Game 6 loss to the Orlando Magic.

He didn't even rule out that someday he might want to give head coaching another shot.

But today, it's just not what he wants for his life.

DiLeo has been in the Sixers' Basketball operations department for 19 years. He did the assistant-coach thing, and at some point decided he wanted his future to be in the front office.

He took leave of his position as senior VP/assistant GM because Stefanski asked him to coach after Maurice Cheeks was fired.

"This was the plan," DiLeo said. "When Ed asked me to consider coaching, I did it because I thought I could help the team, and I think I did help the team. We made strides.

"But we've been consistent all season that we would not talk about this, and then at the end, I'd step back and think about it, and that's what I did."

DiLeo said he couldn't point to a specific date or time when he reached the conclusion that he wanted to go back into management, but he "talked it over with a lot of people and made the decision that this was best for me at this time."

It's human nature that we search for more.

We see the glamorous settings that come with being the head coach of a pro sports franchise and wonder how anyone can say that's not the life they want.

We sometimes forget that an organization extends way beyond the players and coaches.

"When you're a head coach, you're looking short-term," DiLeo said. "You're looking at day-to-day how to get better.

"In management, you're looking at more how to build a team, how to build to championship, how to build to the future. I will cherish returning to that role of trying to build, well, trying to help build the 76ers to a championship."

That last sentence might explain best why DiLeo decided to move back into management.

I think he clearly has a dream position in his mind, and that is to one day be the president and general manager of his own organization.

He's had a few interviews in the past.

Tony DiLeo doesn't want to coach an NBA champion. He wants to build one. *

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