Cheeks’ Hall of Fame nod through OKC’s eyes
NEW ORLEANS — The word had started to leak out earlier Wednesday across the Internet. Jason Kidd was in. So were Grant Hill and Steve Nash. Was the Hall of Fame passing on
Maurice Cheeks again? No. Twenty years after he first became eligible, Cheeks received a phone call at the Thunder’s practice facility. Following practice, the Thunder assistant coach walked out of his office and couldn’t hold back the tears, putting his head on head coach Billy
Donovan’s shoulder.
“I didn’t know what happened,” said Donovan, who was talking to Thunder general manager Sam Presti when he was approached by Cheeks. “He said ‘I just got into the Hall. I got inducted into the Hall of Fame.’”
Cheeks had received that call several times before, but it never was the confirmation he was waiting for, until Wednesday. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Cheeks as part of the 2018 class on Saturday in San Antonio.
The Thunder couldn’t speak formal about Cheeks’ enshrinement until the official announcement was made. Cheeks was on hand in San Antonio on Saturday at the NCAA men’s Final Four and back with the team Sunday in New Orleans.
In Donovan’s three seasons, Cheeks has been an integral part of the coaching staff. Even before Donovan’s arrival, Cheeks had the ear of Russell Westbrook and the Thunder’s veterans.
Even before Donovan became a coach, he loved Cheeks. Donovan admired Philadelphia 76ers Hall of Famer Julius Erving, so any game watching him in the early 1980s inevitably meant watching Cheeks in his prime as well.
Donovan knew Cheeks’ credentials even if the 61-year-old doubted his own.
Steven Adams said the Thunder gave Cheeks a “wee hug” and a “pat on the back,” but there’s something bigger in store to celebrate.
“We may have a little something planned, but that’s for us,” Adams said.
A normally brief Westbrook went long in postgame on Cheeks.
“Just extremely, extremely happy for him,” Westbrook said. “He’s somebody I look up to as a mentor, somebody that’s guided me since I’ve been in the league. He was with me since Day 1 and left and came back (to Oklahoma City). Just the unbelievable knowledge he has for the game and the things he did for the game of basketball, playing and coaching, I’m just extremely blessed and honored to be coached by him, and obviously it’s a great honor to be in the Hall of Fame. He’s so deserving of it because he’s done so much for the game, and I’m excited for him.”
Rotation shakeup
Paul George typically plays the entire first quarter and comes out early in the second. So much for that on Sunday.
Donovan took George out around the 5:30 mark of the first quarter. Donovan said his discussed the move earlier in the day about making the change.
“At the end of the day, we both want what’s best for the team and what’s gonna work best going forward,” George said. “We’re trying to gear up and have a rotation set for the playoffs.”
The move was effective. George was subbed back in toward the end of the first quarter and scored the first 11 points of the second quarter for the Thunder en route to 19 first-half points.
The Melo tech
Carmelo Anthony made the most of his minutes with 4-of-8 3-pointers, but it was almost a night derailed.
Anthony committed three fouls in the first 6½ minutes, and added a technical foul while on the bench in the first half.
That’s right. Anthony laughed when explaining how he essentially was T’ed up for calling official Bill Spooner out.
“I was talking to Bill about jump shots. We were coming down. I think Paul shot a couple. He was coming down and the guy was underneath him. I was like ‘Bill, you’ve gotta call that, or somebody’s gonna get hurt out here,’ and he said ‘I’ve got the whistle, you don’t. Let me ref.’ So, right after that Paul got the drive and got fouled and he didn’t call it. I said ‘Bill, that’s a foul right there. Blow your whistle then.’ Then he gave me a tech.”
Anthony almost picked up a second technical during an incident at 5:04 in the third quarter in which he brushed off Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic.
Next up
The Thunder hosts Golden State on Tuesday. The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry (Grade 2 MCL sprain in left knee).