The New York Knicks has found a new assistant coach to add to their team this offseason. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported today that Maurice Cheeks is the new assistant coach.
An assistant coach is a very underrated part of any successful team. NBA players can speak about how an assistant head coach can help with player development and in-game adjustments. It is also a good spot for former head coaches to refine their coaching skills at a lesser role like Darvin Ham going to the Bucks days ago.
It will be interesting to see how he will work alongside Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks, so far, doesn’t plan to let anyone from their playoff team, walk away this offseason. If they retain everyone, barring injury, the New York Knicks can be a potential championship team.
Maurice Cheeks’s Career as an Assistant Coach
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New York’s head coach, Tom Thibodeau, acquired Maurice Cheeks from the Chicago Bulls. Maurice has spent the last four seasons with Chicago as an assistant head coach. The Bulls have had some forgettable seasons these past four years, with a few play-in tournament appearances and an Eastern Conference first-round playoff exit.
Before his time with the Bulls, he spent five seasons as an assistant coach on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Maurice’s time there was much more memorable, with several playoff runs, a 55-win season, and several 40+ win seasons. He had a previous stint with the Thunder as an assistant coach that helped the young Durant, Harden, and Westbrook squad to OKC’s first NBA Finals appearance as the Thunder.
However, his assistant coaching career began on the same team he played for, the 76ers. He spent six seasons with the team in the 1990s.
Maurice Cheek’s Career as a Head Coach
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After spending the first six years of his coaching career in Philadelphia, he became the head coach for the Portland Trailblazers. Those years were in the early to mid-2000s during the later part of the “Jail Blazers” era of the franchise. He had a 53% win record with the Trail Blazers as their head coach.
He then went to the Philadelphia 76ers as their head coach for four years. His time there wasn’t as productive as his time in Portland, as he only won 45% of his games there. Then he had one random season with the Detroit Pistons, where they won 50 games in the 2013-2014 season.
The New Assistant Coach’s Playing Career
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Although he’ll be coaching for the New York Knicks, he used to play against them in many heated games. The legendary 76ers guard averaged 11 points in his career but averaged 7 assists and over 2 steals. He was a fierce perimeter defender willing to take on any defensive assignment needed to win the game.
Maurice Cheeks was a 4-time NBA All-Star, 5x NBA All-Defense, and a part of the famous “Fo, Fo, Fo” 1983 76ers championship squad. They only lost one game in that entire playoff run. Maurice is also in the Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.
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