1. Maurice Cheeks
Cheeks would bring a wealth of knowledge to the Nets.
It’s been well-documented how much pull the likes of Durant and Irving are going to have in Brooklyn’s coaching search, so why not bring aboard an assistant who boasts a ton of experience coaching the former?
Maurice Cheeks has spent nine of the last 10 seasons as an assistant for the Oklahoma City Thunder. In fact, he came over the same year (2009) that Durant was drafted, so he’s really had a monumental impact on the two-time Finals MVP’s career from his first days as a pro.
Across eight seasons as a head coach in the NBA, Cheeks compiled a 305-315 record, which indicates that he’s better suited as an assistant.
Though the likes of Scott Brooks and Billy Donovan deserve most of the credit for OKC’s consistency for the last decade, Cheeks has been the one constant face. It goes without saying that the Thunder are one of the best run organizations in the league, and the 63-year-old has played a prominent role in their ascension, which makes him our leading dark horse (assistant) coaching candidate for Brooklyn.