Tag: Jeff Bzdelik

Rockets reportedly looking for strong defensive coach as assistant

“I think they’re going to definitely try and add a guy who has some defensive coaching chops,” Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen says of the Rockets’ assistant search.

With three assistant coaches in Jeff Hornacek, Will Weaver, and DeSagana Diop not returning to the Houston Rockets staff for the 2022-23 season, head coach Stephen Silas likely has three vacancies to fill.

While some names have been rumored, including G League affiliate coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah and longtime NBA assistant Melvin Hunt, a formal hire has yet to be made. But Silas has made it clear that defense is a priority this offseason after Houston’s league-worst finish in 2021-22, and it appears that will factor into the coaching search, as well.

Longtime Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen elaborated in a conversation with Salman Ali on the Red Nation Hoops podcast:

Stephen (Silas) is extremely well liked and respected around the league. He’s got a ton of connections. People would like to work for him. …

I think they’re going to definitely try and add a guy who has some defensive coaching chops. Not necessarily running the defense, but a creative mind with a lot to offer as a guy that will help work with the defense.

I don’t think it’s quite the Jeff Bzdelik defensive coordinator (role) — I know they didn’t call him that, but “you run the show on defense” — it’s not that.

He’s looking for a defensive… I don’t want to say specialist, but a really strong defensive coach. That’s where they’re going with the main one.

Feigen, who said he anticipates Abdelfattah being one of the three hires, did offer one caveat when it comes to Silas’ ongoing search.

“There is a lot of uncertainty,” Feigen said of Houston’s situation. “When you’re joining a team that’s had the worst record in the league, twice in a row, and the coach has two years left on his contract — only one fully guaranteed — coaches have to consider that. But, he’s got connections like crazy, and he’s really well liked and highly thought of. That’s the one thing I’ve heard from people outside the organization.”

The new assistant coaching hires will join John Lucas (lead assistant) and Rick Higgins, who are still in place from Silas’ 2021-22 staff.

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G League’s Mahmoud Abdelfattah emerging as strong assistant coaching candidate for Rockets

Mahmoud Abdelfattah, who coached Houston’s G League affiliate to the 2021-22 title, is reportedly a strong candidate to join the Rockets as an assistant to head coach Stephen Silas.

Mahmoud Abdelfattah, who led Houston’s G League affiliate (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) to the 2021-22 title, is reportedly a strong early candidate to join the Rockets as an assistant to head coach Stephen Silas.

Silas currently has two open jobs on his staff after the recent departures of veteran assistant coaches Jeff Hornacek and Will Weaver.

“Mahmoud Abdelfattah, who recently won the G League Finals with the Rio Grande Vipers, is considered a strong early candidate for to join Stephen Silas’ staff in Houston,” The Athletic’s Kelly Iko wrote after spending a week following the Rockets at the draft combine in Chicago. 

Iko elaborates:

Sources told The Athletic that he is considered a strong candidate for one of the open assistant jobs. Abdelfattah is coming off a G League Finals win (as head coach) and has great relationships with Silas and the organization.

Thursday’s scene at Wintrust Arena featured Chuck Hayes, Silas, Abdelfattah and Ed Pinckney watching scrimmages, with general manager Rafael Stone and assistant GM Eli Witus making the rounds. Abdelfattah has been with the franchise dating back to the days of Mike D’Antoni and is highly respected by members of the Rockets and Vipers.

As for the other open spot on the coaching staff, Iko reports that former assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik — who worked for D’Antoni as effectively a defensive coordinator with the Rockets — was initially seen by some as a candidate. “But it’s understood he is no rush to return to the sidelines,” reports Iko, who notes that Bzdelik has not coached in the NBA since stepping down from New Orleans in 2020.

Regardless, the inclusion of Bzdelik on a potential coaching wish list shows that Houston is likely to prioritize defense with that particular staff hire. It makes sense, considering that the Rockets ranked dead last in net defensive rating among the 30 NBA teams last season.

There does not appear to be an immediate hiring timetable for either of the two vacant positions. Since the Rockets have an established head coach in place (Silas) and a well-respected lead assistant in John Lucas, Houston can be patient as it fills out the remainder of its staff prior to the opening of 2022-23 training camp in late September.

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Woj: Rockets looking for right mix of head coach, top assistant

“They try to find people that complement each other,” said ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who expects Houston to interview many candidates.

The Houston Rockets are in the middle of a comprehensive search for their next head coach to replace Mike D’Antoni, and one of the key criteria could be compatibility with top assistant candidates.

Here’s what ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told the network’s “Keyshawn, Jay and Zubin”  radio program on Wednesday:

Houston, I think you’re going to see more of a veteran coach there for that group.

I think they’ll interview a lot of people. Ty Lue and Sam Cassell with the Clippers are a couple, but a bunch more. They like interviewing a lot of people with the Rockets, traditionally, when they have an opening — and trying a lot of combinations of head coach and top assistant. They try to find people that complement each other.

For the first three seasons of D’Antoni’s four-year tenure from 2016 through 2020, he worked closely with assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik — who was very well regarded for his defensive background. Bzdelik brought significant experience to the role as a former head coach, and the D’Antoni-Bzdelik combination helped lift the Rockets from 41-41 (prior to their arrival) to 55-27 in the 2016-17 season and 65-17 in 2017-18.

From Wojnarowski’s reporting, it seems that GM Daryl Morey could be using a similar template as he leads this search four years later.

So while Lue and Cassell (and likely many more) will be evaluated on their own merits, the final decision could also be influenced by how each candidate would seemingly fit within the context of a broader staff. Unlike some teams, it’s Morey — rather than the head coach — that has had the final say on Houston’s assistant coaches over the years.

Should that continue, it’s possible that some assistants from the 2019-20 season (Elston Turner, Brett Gunning, Matt Brase, John Lucas, and Dan Hartfield) could be retained. If so, how their skillsets might mesh with various head coaching candidates may be considered.

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Pelicans associate coach Jeff Bzdelik to not travel to Orlando, Alvin Gentry status uncertain

Pelicans associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik will opt not to join the team in Orlando for the league’s restart while Alvin Gentry’s status is still undecided.

With one of the older coaching staffs in the league, the New Orleans Pelicans could see some changes on the sideline with the team’s trip to Florida. On Friday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik, known as a defensive specialist, will not travel with the team to Orlando. At 67 years old, Bzdelik falls into one of the higher risk categories and, after speaking with team physicians, will opt to stay in New Orleans.

Wojnarowski also noted that Bzdelik had the support of the New Orleans Pelicans franchise in his decision.

Interestingly, Alvin Gentry, who is 65 years old, falls into the same category as Bzdelik. He, however, has not made a decision on whether he will join the team in Orlando.

Positive cases of the coronavirus have spiked nationwide to record levels, particularly in Florida. On Thursday, Florida reported 10,109 new cases, a record-high amount, breaking the mark set on June 27.

Currently, most teams are slated to arrive in Florida by the end of the second week of July.

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