A new report published Monday by The Athletic suggests that the Houston Rockets and head coach Mike D’Antoni are likely to part ways if the team does not win the NBA championship this season.
D’Antoni is currently in the final year of the four-year contract he signed in 2016 to become the 13th head coach in Rockets franchise history. The coach and team tried multiple times during the 2019 offseason to secure a contract extension, but were unable to come to terms.
In their story, Sam Amick and John Hollinger of The Athletic write:
Barring a Rockets championship that could spark a kumbaya healing of sorts and inspire Fertitta to open his wallet to meet that sort of moment, a source with direct knowledge of these dynamics expressed serious skepticism that D’Antoni would return after this season. To be more precise, the chances – per the source – are currently seen as “slim.” This shouldn’t surprise anyone considering the context here.
Teamed up with @sam_amick to look at the hottest seats on the coaching carousel and what insiders are telling us: https://t.co/OXRl63x4rI
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) December 9, 2019
Hollinger and Amick also reported that D’Antoni had to push “harder than he would have liked” to have the fourth-year option on his contract (for this current season) picked up in June 2018.
According to Monday’s The Athletic report, there was a belief then that the Rockets were keeping their coaching options open while waiting to see if they had a chance of luring pending free agent LeBron James. That may have contributed to friction between the coach and team.
While we’re many months away from learning whether the 2019-20 Rockets will be NBA champions, Amick and Hollinger write in Monday’s story that D’Antoni’s potential availability could have a ripple effect on coaching situations elsewhere in the league — with other NBA teams potentially making a plan to pursue him once his current deal expires.
Now in his fourth season with the Rockets, the 68-year-old D’Antoni is 188-80 (.701) in 268 regular-season games and 23-16 (.590) in 39 postseason games. Both winning percentages are the highest by any coach in Houston franchise history.
Houston owner Tilman Fertitta and GM Daryl Morey each said in late September at the start of training camp for the 2019-20 season that they expect D’Antoni with the Rockets on a long-term basis. “We’ll work it out after the season,” Morey said, referring to the coach’s contract.
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