5 Head coaches who could replace Billy Donovan if Bulls fire him
By Tyler Watts
3. Maurice Cheeks
Cheeks was a four-time All-Star during his Hall of Fame playing career. He made five All-Defensive teams and helped the 76ers win the championship in 1983. The 67-year-old has been part of the NBA since 1978 and began coaching in 1994.
Cheeks has 28 years of experience on the bench, including parts of nine as a head coach for three different teams. He went 305-315 over his 620 games and made three playoff appearances.
The Hall of Famer joined the Bulls in 2020 and came with Billy Donovan from Oklahoma City. This will be the tenth straight season that Cheeks has been an assistant under the current head coach in Chicago. The two have a close relationship, and the four-time NBA All-Star may not want to replace Donovan if he is let go.
Maurice Cheeks is the only current coach on the Chicago Bulls bench with experience in the lead chair. If he is willing to accept, the Hall of Famer is among the top internal candidates, especially if it is just on an interim basis. Cheeks may be able to lift the offense and implement some slight tweaks that help the franchise win a few more games.
If the Bulls want to contend, two coaches with championship experience are currently free agents.