Even after Cheeks left the Thunder to become head coach of the Detroit Pistons in 2013, he returned to OKC the next season after being...
Even after Cheeks left the Thunder to become head coach of the Detroit Pistonsin 2013, he returned to OKC the next season after being fired early in 2014. As a player, Cheeks was known less for flash and more for simple, traditional accolades: poise, demeanor, pass-first, efficient, conservative.
In a lot of ways, he was the anti-Westbrook. He fit the floor general mold and was no stranger to playing alongside big talent and big personalities such as Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Charles Barkley.
Last December, when Cheeks wasn't yet named a Hall of Famer, Westbrook made an unprompted pitch for his assistant coach, but not necessarily because of his on-court achievements.
"That's just the stigma," Westbrook said of the complicated nature of legacy. "If you won, oh, three championships, then [you're worthy]. Like, in my opinion, Coach Cheeks -- I tell him all the time he should be [in the Hall of Fame] because of the different things he's done, not just for the game of basketball, but in everything. Like for me, just talking to him."
COMMENTS