 Prior to the 1966 – 67 NBA season , the friendly but unassertive Schayes was replaced by a familiar face , the crafty but firm Alex Hannum . In what Cherry calls a tumultuous locker room meeting , Hannum addressed several key issues he observed during the last season , several of them putting Chamberlain in an unfavorable light . Sixers forward Chet Walker testified that on several occasions , players had to pull Chamberlain and Hannum apart to prevent a fistfight . Fellow forward Billy Cunningham observed that Hannum " never backed down " and " showed who was the boss " . By doing this , he won Chamberlain 's respect . When emotions cooled off , Hannum pointed out to Chamberlain that he was on the same page in trying to win a title ; but to pull this off , he – like his teammates – had to " act like a man " both on and off the court . Concerning basketball , he persuaded him to change his style of play . Loaded with several other players who could score , such as future Hall @-@ of @-@ Famers Hal Greer and newcomer Billy Cunningham , Hannum wanted Chamberlain to concentrate more on defense . 
