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With a week of training camp in the books, one thing we’ve all hoped for this offseason (and in camp) is for Russell Westbrook to evolve into more of a floor-leading general of a point guard. Become a guy that controls the game. Own the ball. Take leadership in your position. And honestly, I’m not sure how many people out there are better to learn all that from than Mo Cheeks. If he can teach it as well as he did it, then Westbrook will take quite a leap this year. Observe the fantasticness that was Maurice Cheeks: Point Guard. Maybe that was Step 1 for Russ – pop in some game film of coach, grab a notepad and let the learning begin.

Other, Video Mo Cheeks, Russell Westbrook

Unless you’ve been out of circulation for awhile you’ve definitely heard that the Thunder and Coach Brooks have brought Mo Cheeks on board as an assistant coach and likely lead assistant at that. Cheeks was a very steady hand at the Point Guard position back in the day and won a championship with the 76ers in ’83. That was the year I became a basketball fan so I have very fond memories of the finals that year. I was a Junior in high school in a Seattle suburb and my best friend Jeff was a huge Dr.J fan. I was nominally aware that Seattle had a team of it’s own (sort of a middling team during that era), and I hadn’t been following them, but I watched the first four complete playoff games that I can remember that year and it was the finals with Philly and the Lakers. Magic and Kareem against Dr. J and Moses Malone. I became a basketball fan after that. During that series my friend was constantly explaining the nuance of the game to me. He was showing me on the screen how Moses would body up on Kareem and push him so far off his spot that he couldn’t hit the “sky hook” with regularity. He was explaining the pick and roll. He told me what a “field goal” was. The Sixers swept the vaunted Lakers (who had won the NBA title the season before with former Thunder assistant Paul Westhead as the coach) and I was hooked on basketball.

I became a big Sonic homer after that, but I still remember some of the lesser known guys in that finals series, Kurt Rambis with the big birth control horned rimmed glasses, Andrew Toney with an amazingly sweet stroke, Bobby Jones doing the dirty work and Michael Cooper’s lock down defense. I also sort of remember the guy who facilitated the Philly offense: Mo Cheeks.

It always amazes me when I player or a coach who I’ve sort of been keeping tabs on for years winds up on my team. It’s happened more times than I can remember. Cheeks is one of those guys. Never flashy, just sort of a classy, a bit above average coach who has been bouncing around the league learning his craft. He’s two games shy of a career .500 record in parts of 8 NBA seasons which is nothing to sneeze at. He’s a guy that can only enrich the coaching ranks for the leagues youngest team with a rookie at the helm. Read more…

Commentary Mo Cheeks, Russell Westbrook, Scott Brooks

Per Thunder Rumblings:

Maurice Cheeks and Rex Kalamian have been hired as an assistant coaches by the Thunder. It was previously reported that Dale Osbourne, a former assistant with the Utah Flash, has taken a job with Oklahoma City. But it appears Osbourne will join the Tulsa 66ers, the D-League affiliate of the Thunder, in some capacity.

Cheeks most recently was the head coach of the 76ers (2005-2008) and has been the head man with Portland as well. He was also a 15-year veteran in the NBA playing point guard and was actually teammates with Scott Brooks at one point. I must say that I’m thrilled with Cheeks coming on staff. He’s a great person and a great basketball mind. Not to mention he was named NBA All-Defense five times and was a four-time All-Star. The Thunder’s got some players that can certainly benefit from Cheeks’ defensive wisdom.

Kalamian was an assistant with Brooks in Denver and was most recently an assistant in Sacramento. He’s spent time in Minnesota, Los Angeles (Clippers) and also two seasons in Philly before Cheeks was the head coach there. I must say I don’t know much about him. He “specializes” in player development, which is right up the Thunder’s alley.

News Mo Cheeks, Rex Kalamian