Mike D’Antoni hired as Houston Rockets head coach
By John Buhler
Multiple time NBA head coach and Philadelphia 76ers top assistant Mike D’Antoni will be hired as the next head coach of the Houston Rockets.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical of Yahoo! Sports, former NBA head coach and top offensive assistant of the Philadelphia 76ers Mike D’Antoni will be hired as the next head coach of the Houston Rockets.
Wojnarowski reports that D’Antoni is expected to sign a four-year deal with a team option in the last year of the contract.
D'Antoni is finalizing a four-year deal with the Rockets that will include a team option in final year, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 26, 2016
Houston interviewed an absurd number of head coaching candidates to replace both former head coach Kevin McHale and interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Deciding to go with D’Antoni wasn’t surprising after Scott Brooks went to the Washington Wizards and Jeff Van Gundy wasn’t invited back for a reunion with his former employer.
The Rockets are one of the most analytically driven organizations in the NBA and thrive on the offensive end of the floor with All-Star shooting guard James Harden running the show. D’Antoni is best known for his success running the prototype team of the pace and space era with the Steve Nash led Phoenix Suns teams in the mid-2000s.
This seems like a hire that would appease Harden and general manager Daryl Morey, as both favor great success on the offensive end. D’Antoni is arguably the most innovative offensive mind of his time and could mesh well with the current corps in place in Houston.
Do however expect him to bring along a great defensive mind to counterbalance what could end up being a lopsided team if the Rockets aren’t careful in that regard. Wojnarowski believes that Memphis Grizzlies defensive coordinator Jeff Bzdelik or Washington Wizards’ Roy Rogers could be that guy.
While Houston took its sweet time on the coaching carousel, as the Rockets are the last of eight teams to hire its next head coach, it was pragmatic and totally understandable for Houston to go in the direction of bringing D’Antoni into the fold.
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