Breaking: Mike D’Antoni Reportedly Makes Decision On Rockets
by Andrew McCartyOn Sunday afternoon, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni reportedly made a decision on his future with the franchise.
According to a report from ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, D’Antoni informed the team he’s becoming a free agent. He won’t return to the Rockets next season.
His decision comes just a few hours after the Rockets were bounced from the playoffs in five games by the Los Angeles Lakers. Houston took the first game of the season, but lost four-straight en route to dropping the series in five games.
There have been rumors about D’Antoni’s future with the Rockets even before losing the series to Los Angeles. However, Rockets star James Harden made it clear he wanted D’Antoni to return as the team’s head coach.
“Of course. Of course,” Harden said when asked if he wants D’Antoni to return. “Mike has done some unbelievable stuff here.”
D’Antoni was 217-102 in his four seasons as Rockets coach, advancing once to the Western Conference finals and three times to the conference semifinals.
It’s a surprising decision from the head coach, but it’s clear he needed to move on from the Rockets.
He’ll have his pick of jobs. The Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans all have openings.