THUNDER JOURNAL
Longtime sports writer Bob Ryan wonders why Thunder assistant coach Mo Cheeks isn’t in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
At the end of ESPN’s Around the Horn on Monday, legendary sports writer Bob Ryan was the winner of the four-man duel for points, earning him the show’s closing words on its “Face Time” segment.
Ryan had something to say about Thunder assistant Maurice Cheeks. Ryan, who’s covered the NBA since the 1960s, vouched for Cheeks to be inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“The Basketball Hall of Fame is incomplete, and it will remain incomplete because they have not seen it fit to nominate the perfect point guard,” Ryan said. “The best man not in the Hall of Fame is Maurice Cheeks.”
At All-Star Weekend, 14 finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame were announced, and Cheeks was not on the list. A player must be retired for four full seasons before being eligible for enshrinement, then can be nominated in his or her fifth year of retirement.
Cheeks retired after the 1992-93 season, and has been eligible for enshrinement since 1998.
“Maurice Cheeks was the ultimate floor general, a man who made every open shot, was great coast-to-coast, made every pass, never got burnt on defense, was the ultimate teammate, and oh, by the way, he wasn’t a huge scorer but he scored in the teens,” Ryan continued, noting that Cheeks raised his regular-season scoring average from regular season to postseason in 12 consecutive seasons.
In six seasons as a Thunder assistant, Cheeks has heavily influenced the development of a future Hall of Fame point guard in Russell Westbrook, but the 60-year-old is worthy of the Hall himself.
In 15 seasons, Cheeks was a four-time All-Star, a five-time All-Defensive Team selection, and an NBA champion with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. Cheeks ranks fifth in NBA history in steals (2,310), 12th in assists (7,392), 52nd in field goal percentage (52.3 percent).
“You couldn’t have a better perfect point guard and there’s nobody — I mean nobody — today better (for enshrinement) than Maurice Cheeks,” Ryan said. “He belongs in the Hall of Fame.”
According to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame website, a Hall nominee must receive “a minimum number of affirmative votes from the respective Screening Committee (North American: 7 of 9; Women’s: 5 of 7),” in order to advance to the Honors committee voting. Finalists must receive a minimum of 18 votes from the Honors committee to be enshrined.
Cheeks was one of 45 North American Screening Committee nominees announced in December.