If Maurice Cheeks wanted to escape the speculation surrounding his job with the Trail Blazers, coming to the NBA's pre-draft camp didn't help.

The Blazers coach has been at the center of a swirl of rumors in the past week. Despite the fact that the Blazers told Philadelphia it could not talk with Cheeks about the 76ers' vacant coaching job, reports continued to circulate daily that he had been given permission or that he was pushing for the chance.

"I was sitting on my bed watching ESPN, and it came across the television that they (the Blazers) gave Cheeks permission to talk to the 76ers," Cheeks said Thursday. "That was news to me. I knew nothing about it. I had no knowledge. Some of the reports I've been hearing are surprising to me."

Speculation hasn't abated much this week at the camp at the Moody Bible Institute. Erroneous reports from organizations such as The Associated Press, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press and The New York Times had even NBA types seeking Cheeks out to get the straight story.