OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb. 17, 2016 – The Oklahoma City Thunder announced that assistant coach Maurice Cheeks underwent successful hip surgery today. Cheeks will return to the team in a week for practices and meetings, and will be back on the Thunder bench for games in approximately six weeks.
Oklahoma City Blue Head Coach Mark Daigneault will join Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan's staff as an assistant for the remainder of the season. Blue assistant coach Jarell Christian will assume Daigneault's role with the Blue for the rest of their 2015-16 campaign.
Daigneault becomes the third coach to be called up to the Thunder from its D-League team. Darko Rajakovic was hired as Thunder assistant coach in July 2014 after serving two seasons as the head coach of the Thunder’s D-League team, and Royal Ivey was hired at the start of the 2015-16 campaign as a player development assistant following his stint as an assistant for the Blue during the 2014-15 season.