The Houston Rockets are reportedly finalizing a deal with Mike D’Antoni, per Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Houston is finalizing a deal to hire Mike D'Antoni as head coach, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) May 26, 2016
Houston is surrounding D'Antoni with an experienced, high-level coaching staff, including possibly Jeff Bzdelik as defensive coordinator.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) May 26, 2016
The deal will be for four years, with a team option in the final year, reports Wojnarowski:
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 (@WojVerticalNBA) May 26, 2016
Candidates are already emerging for assistant coach:
Sources: Two strong candidates for D'Antoni's staff include Memphis assistant Jeff Bzdelik and Roy Rogers, who was with Washington.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) May 26, 2016
D’Antoni is a coaching vet who has been coaching since 1990. From 1990-97 he coached in Italy. He received his first NBA job in 1997 when he became the Denver Nuggets’ assistant coach. The next season, he was promoted to head coach of the Nuggets, though he held that position for only a year. Since then, he has coached the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers, and is currently serving as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.
D’Antoni was named Coach of the Year in 2004-05 while coaching the Suns, after the Suns won 62 games, improved from 29 wins the year before. D’Antoni is known for his fast-paced, offense-first coaching style, which was exemplified by his Steve Nash-led Phoenix teams.
