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Houston Rockets to hire Mike D'Antoni as new head coach

Xinhua, May 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Houston Rockets have reportedly agreed to hire Mike D'Antoni, associate head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, as the Houston-based Rockets' new head coach starting next season.

According to the website of local English daily the Houston Chronicle on Thursday, the Rockets and D'Antoni have agreed upon a contract after nearly four weeks of interviews, but the details of the situation had not yet been made public.

A person with knowledge of the situation, who asked not to be named, said that the Rockets began contract negotiations with D'Antoni on a four-year deal.

The Rockets chose D'Antoni with a plan to have top defensive assistants on his staff and to improve defensively with roster changes while relying on D'Antoni's expertise to maintain the offense.

The 65-year-old D'Antoni, who has been in the NBA since 1997 when he was an assistant coach with Denver, is known for favoring a fast-paced, offense-oriented system.

Besides the Suns, D'Antoni also coached the Lakers and Knicks. Last season, he was an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Rockets' head coach was held by interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who took over the coaching duties when Kevin McHale was fired later last year. Endit