Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni is in championship-or-else territory when the 2019-20 season resumes.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Rockets have all but decided to move on from D’Antoni before next season and plan to consider Jeff Van Gundy as a replacement.
“They’ve had a major divide in the contract negotiations,” Amick said on the “Brodie and The Beard” podcast. “I’m always cautious when it comes to reporting. So, I’m going to throw in the never say never. Pro sports is a crazy thing. You know what I mean? But the information that we’ve constantly heard is that that bridge, for the most part, has been burned, and now they’re just kind of mutually agreeing to make the best of the time they have together.”
Former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau was also mentioned as a possible successor.
D’Antoni, who turned 69 on Friday, is 213-97 as head coach of the Rockets. He is 668-523 in 16 seasons as an NBA head coach with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Rockets.
Houston is currently in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 40-24 record.
—Field Level Media