Per GM Daryl Morey and owner Tilman Fertitta, the Houston Rockets let candidates know during their interviewing process for a head coach that Morey would not be returning after 14 seasons with the team.
That unexpected development may have led to some coaches becoming less interested in the job, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Via ESPN’s The Jump, here’s what Windhorst said Wednesday:
When Daryl Morey decided to resign, there were candidates who decided they didn’t want to be in the process anymore. And that’s okay. But it narrowed their candidate pool.
Many people in the league think that John Lucas, the longtime assistant there who hasn’t been a head coach in the league in 18 years, has a chance here. Part of that is his relationship with the players, and his relationship with Rafael Stone, who was just named general manager. While there are other candidates, including [Dallas assistant] Stephen Silas, I would say today that my guess is, it’s going to be John Lucas.
Windhorst did not identify which candidates decided not to remain involved in Houston’s search to replace Mike D’Antoni.
Besides Lucas and Silas, other candidates known to have interviewed with the Rockets include current Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue; former Brooklyn head coach Kenny Atkinson; Denver assistant Wes Unseld Jr.; Minnesota assistant David Vanterpool; and former head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who led both the Rockets and New York Knicks.
There is still no definitive timetable for a hire to be made.
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