Stefanski also said that, if DiLeo did not remain the coach, he would be welcome to resume his duties as senior vice president/assistant general manager.

"If he is not the coach, I would want him to remain in the organization," Stefanski said. "One way or the other, I would want him to remain."

DiLeo became coach in December when Maurice Cheeks was fired after 23 games; he was 32-27, finishing with the second-best winning percentage (.542) among the NBA's eight replacement coaches this season. Alvin Gentry finished at .581 with the Phoenix Suns, but was in charge for only 31 games (18-13).

Stefanski confirmed that DiLeo did not have a separate coaching contract, and that he has time remaining on his front-office contract.

Stefanski declined to discuss DiLeo's performance at length, saying those comments would wait until after their meeting, but he did say, "Tony did the job I wanted done when I put him in that spot. We were both on the same wavelength."

Unrelated to the coaching situation, Stefanski said he had yet to have an end-of-season meeting with Theo Ratliff or Andre Miller, who have become unrestricted free agents.

In an interview after the Game 6 elimination loss to the Orlando Magic, Ratliff, a 14-year veteran, openly questioned DiLeo's toughness and willingness to confront players after repeated mistakes.

"That was very disappointing," Stefanski said. "My door is always open, and he was never in my office. The exit meeting would have been an appropriate time."

Stefanski said he was told by Andy Miller, Andre Miller's agent, that Andre "misunderstood that the exit meetings were mandatory."

Stefanski said he has not received a return call from Andre Miller, and, even though that was "disappointing," he laughed and said, "On the other hand, we didn't get a call last May, June or July, either." *

For more Sixers coverage, read the

Daily News' Sixers blog, Sixerville, at

http://go.philly.com/sixerville.