The last open head coaching job in the NBA has finally been filled, as Mike D’Antoni has reportedly won the Houston Rockets gig. Woj was first, of course:
Houston is finalizing a deal to hire Mike D'Antoni as head coach, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 26, 2016
D’Antoni was one of the first adopters of the pace-and-space offense that has taken over the NBA, and the Rockets under GM Daryl Morey have perhaps been the scheme’s most devoted acolytes. D’Antoni has never shown a willingness to do anything but play his way, and it looks like he won’t have to change a thing. Of course, there’s still the matter of defense, which was a train wreck in Houston this past season. Help might be on the way there too:
Houston is surrounding D'Antoni with an experienced, high-level coaching staff, including possibly Jeff Bzdelik as defensive coordinator.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 26, 2016
Jeff Bzdelik remains a likely choice as the defensive specialist, but source said steps remain in selecting staff.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 26, 2016
No matter who the Rockets hire to shore up the defense, the biggest concern with D’Antoni isn’t on that side of the ball — it’s that since the league has adapted to his style, he was ineffective at either pushing the boundaries farther or even keeping pace, flaming out with his last two gigs and leaving with a poor taste in fanbases’ mouths.
Of course, D’Antoni’s last head coaching gig was with the Los Angeles Lakers, where Dwight Howard was decidedly unhappy. Dwight is expected to opt out of his contract this offseason, and the choice of D’Antoni seems to make it very clear that they will not be retaining the big man’s services. How they go about filling that void in the middle, or otherwise using their cap space, is a wide open question.
