Donovan Continues Work On Staff

By Randy Renner

As we predicted in this space last week the Thunder have indeed reached out to fired New Orleans Pelicans coach Monty Williams about being the lead assistant to new Thunder head coach Billy Donovan.

Williams was popular with the players in the Big Easy, especially center Anthony Davis, but apparently there was nothing easy about his relationship with the tangled management of the franchise.

Williams also already has a relationship with Thunder superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook from his time spent as a coach on Team USA.

Sources in New Orleans say Williams is interested but still wants to explore the possibility of another head coaching job, perhaps in Orlando or even Chicago if the Bulls fire Tom Thibodeau.

Yahoo! Sports is reporting the Thunder have also reached out to former OKC assistants Mo Cheeks, who left to become head coach in Detroit only to be fired before a full season had gone by, and Brian Keefe, who joined the staff of Derek Fisher in New York.

It still appears Donovan plans to hire Anthony Grant as an assistant. Grant was a longtime Donovan assistant at Florida and Marshall before going on to become head coach at VCU and then Alabama. It also appears Donovan would prefer to keep current Thunder assistants Mark Bryant and Darko Rajakovic on staff.