Mike D'Antoni is out as head coach of the Houston Rockets following a humbling five-game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the postseason, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. D'Antoni was not fired as his contract expired at the end of the season but the coach is reportedly informing the team on Sunday that he intends to become a free agent and not return to Houston.

D'Antoni and his wife, Laurel, shared the following message with Wojnarowski concerning his tenure in Houston.

"It's with tremendous sadness and gratitude that my wife Laurel and I announce that our incredible journey in Houston has ended for now and that we'll be moving to a new chapter. Our time here was among the most memorable experiences of our lives. From the dear friends we've made, the incredible partnerships with civic minded-leaders and city officials, to the wonderful nonprofits and the clients they serve. Laurel and I will be forever indebted to this community for embracing our family.

Most of all, I can't thank enough the entire Fertitta family, Daryl Morey, the staff, and the incredible and dedicated players I've been privileged to coach. The Rockets are a historic NBA franchise with fantastic fans and we've been proud to join with you to play a part in some of the successes here in Houston.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making us feel like true Houstonians. For that, we will always be truly grateful."

He had reportedly been on the hot seat all season, and the Rockets let a number of his assistants go last offseason. Rockets GM Daryl Morey said that the Rockets hoped to re-sign D'Antoni earlier in the postseason, but the expectation around the league was that he needed a deep playoff run to remain in Houston.

D'Antoni leaves Houston as one of the most successful coaches in the team's history, but a victim of poor circumstances. He went 217-101 in four seasons at the helm, helping James Harden win the 2018 award, but in four postseason runs, he ran into Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and the largely healthy Golden State Warriors twice. His team was the underdog in all four matchups, and the Rockets never made it to the NBA Finals under his watch.

D'Antoni is now expected to be a candidate for several other head-coaching jobs. The Indiana Pacers are interested, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He revived his career during a brief stint as an assistant under Brett Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers, and now the 76ers job is open. The New Orleans Pelicans are run by David Griffin, who worked with D'Antoni in Phoenix. In all likelihood, he will be a head coach somewhere next season.

Houston, meanwhile, will need to find a coach that fits its unorthodox small-ball roster and can get the most out of the James Harden-Russell Westbrook duo. That will be no easy task given their ages and respective postseason struggles, but the Rockets were a popular upset pick over the Lakers for a reason. This is, if nothing else, an extremely talented roster that needs tweaks more than an overhaul. There's no telling what the future holds in Houston, but now we know that D'Antoni won't be a part of it.

Never thought Pringles should have been fired from the Knicks. Is criticized for being a player's coach (like NBA coaches have any choices here) and for perceived lack of focus on defense (When he had committed/capable personnel, his teams did play defense)

Can't have coached that long without doing lots of things right.

TripleThreat wrote:https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/mike-dantoni-announces-he-will-not-return-as-rockets-coach-next-season/

Mike D'Antoni is out as head coach of the Houston Rockets following a humbling five-game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the postseason, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. D'Antoni was not fired as his contract expired at the end of the season but the coach is reportedly informing the team on Sunday that he intends to become a free agent and not return to Houston.

D'Antoni and his wife, Laurel, shared the following message with Wojnarowski concerning his tenure in Houston.

"It's with tremendous sadness and gratitude that my wife Laurel and I announce that our incredible journey in Houston has ended for now and that we'll be moving to a new chapter. Our time here was among the most memorable experiences of our lives. From the dear friends we've made, the incredible partnerships with civic minded-leaders and city officials, to the wonderful nonprofits and the clients they serve. Laurel and I will be forever indebted to this community for embracing our family.

Most of all, I can't thank enough the entire Fertitta family, Daryl Morey, the staff, and the incredible and dedicated players I've been privileged to coach. The Rockets are a historic NBA franchise with fantastic fans and we've been proud to join with you to play a part in some of the successes here in Houston.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making us feel like true Houstonians. For that, we will always be truly grateful."

He had reportedly been on the hot seat all season, and the Rockets let a number of his assistants go last offseason. Rockets GM Daryl Morey said that the Rockets hoped to re-sign D'Antoni earlier in the postseason, but the expectation around the league was that he needed a deep playoff run to remain in Houston.

D'Antoni leaves Houston as one of the most successful coaches in the team's history, but a victim of poor circumstances. He went 217-101 in four seasons at the helm, helping James Harden win the 2018 award, but in four postseason runs, he ran into Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James and the largely healthy Golden State Warriors twice. His team was the underdog in all four matchups, and the Rockets never made it to the NBA Finals under his watch.

D'Antoni is now expected to be a candidate for several other head-coaching jobs. The Indiana Pacers are interested, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He revived his career during a brief stint as an assistant under Brett Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers, and now the 76ers job is open. The New Orleans Pelicans are run by David Griffin, who worked with D'Antoni in Phoenix. In all likelihood, he will be a head coach somewhere next season.

Houston, meanwhile, will need to find a coach that fits its unorthodox small-ball roster and can get the most out of the James Harden-Russell Westbrook duo. That will be no easy task given their ages and respective postseason struggles, but the Rockets were a popular upset pick over the Lakers for a reason. This is, if nothing else, an extremely talented roster that needs tweaks more than an overhaul. There's no telling what the future holds in Houston, but now we know that D'Antoni won't be a part of it.

Never thought Pringles should have been fired from the Knicks. Is criticized for being a player's coach (like NBA coaches have any choices here) and for perceived lack of focus on defense (When he had committed/capable personnel, his teams did play defense)

Can't have coached that long without doing lots of things right.

He wasnt fired, D'Antoni quit, he bailed. His commitment to defense now is light years from where it was in NY. I thought good defenders would be enough as well, but D'Antoni, put little focus on D. No matter who was in the lineup. The only thing he was interested in is seeing players jack up shots. Shot selection meant nothing. He would say "keep shooting"

MDA couldnt call good plays out of timeouts, was not good as an in game tactictian. Also frequently threw his players under the bus, and took no responsibility for his performance. He also tried to turn Melo into a role player, in his prime. I got getting Melo away from so much ISO ball, but he went to the other extreme.

D'Antoni played an important role in the evolution of the game, but he is not the coach you hire to build a contender. You hire him when the team is already built to contend.

technomaster wrote:I'd be curious where he ends up (assuming he finds an opportunity next year). Philly is a team ready to contend. Can he use Embiid in a Stoudemire-sort of role? Can Simmons be a D'Antoni PG if he can't/doesn't want to let it fly from 3?

Wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in Indy.

Harden would be a true game-changer.

fwk00 wrote:Well for all the talk about Paul, Westbrook and others, the far more important eventuality that the Knicks should brace themselves for and maybe pre-empt would be a trade for Harden.

Harden would be a true game-changer.

No way. But Rockets are hoping they can rape us with a Westbrook for RJ trade

GustavBahler wrote:

TripleThreat wrote:

Never thought Pringles should have been fired from the Knicks. Is criticized for being a player's coach (like NBA coaches have any choices here) and for perceived lack of focus on defense (When he had committed/capable personnel, his teams did play defense)

Can't have coached that long without doing lots of things right.

He wasnt fired, D'Antoni quit, he bailed. His commitment to defense now is light years from where it was in NY. I thought good defenders would be enough as well, but D'Antoni, put little focus on D. No matter who was in the lineup. The only thing he was interested in is seeing players jack up shots. Shot selection meant nothing. He would say "keep shooting"

MDA couldnt call good plays out of timeouts, was not good as an in game tactictian. Also frequently threw his players under the bus, and took no responsibility for his performance. He also tried to turn Melo into a role player, in his prime. I got getting Melo away from so much ISO ball, but he went to the other extreme.

D'Antoni played an important role in the evolution of the game, but he is not the coach you hire to build a contender. You hire him when the team is already built to contend.

+1
The bold is why him going to Philly now would be just another bounce point.