Mike D’Antoni declares he won’t be coaching the Rockets next season. D’Antoni’s deal has ended, and he will be available for free agency.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Mike D’Antoni has resigned as the head coach of the Houston Rockets after the team suffered a humiliating five-game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs. Although D’Antoni’s contract expired at the end of the season, he was not fired; nonetheless, it is claimed that the coach informed the franchise on Sunday that he plans to become a free agent and will not be returning to Houston.
D’Antoni and his spouse, Laurel, conveyed to Wojnarowski the subsequent communication regarding his stay in Houston.
The Rockets fired several of his aides in the offseason, and he had apparently been under pressure the entire time. Although D’Antoni was expected to require a strong playoff run to stay in Houston, Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey stated that the team planned to re-sign him earlier in the postseason.
Despite being a victim of unfavorable circumstances, D’Antoni departs Houston as one of the most successful coaches in the team’s history. In his four seasons in charge, he went 217–101 and assisted James Harden in winning the 2018 award; however, in his four postseason runs, he faced Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and the Golden State Warriors, who were mostly healthy.
It is currently anticipated that D’Antoni will run for a number of additional head coaching positions. The Indiana Pacers are considering it, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports. During a brief while serving as Brett Brown’s assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers, he revitalized his career; currently, the 76ers are hiring. David Griffin is the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. D’Antoni was his colleague in Phoenix. He will almost certainly be a head coach someplace come football season.
Meanwhile, Houston must locate a coach who can maximize the performance of their unconventional small-ball team, which features James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Given their ages and past postseason failures, it will not be an easy assignment, but the Rockets were a popular upset choice over the Lakers.
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The Rockets won’t see Kevin Porter Jr. back in the preseason, if at all.
The Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr., who is accused of assault and strangulation in New York, will not be making a comeback to the team in preseason, raising serious questions about whether he will ever play again.
Rafael Stone, the general manager of the Rockets, took use of the NBA’s annual media day reporting date on Monday, the commencement of the 2023–24 season, to discuss the claims and Porter’s prospects of rejoining the team.
Stone made a prepared statement and said, “The allegations against him are deeply troubling.” “Going back a few weeks, I told his reps he couldn’t play for the Houston Rockets as soon as I learned about the accusations. Since then, he has not been around the squad or part of it.
Citing league restrictions, Stone declined to comment on whether Porter could play for the Rockets this season.
Stone remarked, “I can’t answer that and still follow the policy.” Thus, I believe that once more, this is now a legal issue, and that’s where it’s taking place.
Stone made a prepared statement and said, “The allegations against him are deeply troubling.” “Going back a few weeks, I told his reps he couldn’t play for the Houston Rockets as soon as I learned about the accusations. Since then, he has not been around the squad or part of it.
Citing league restrictions, Stone declined to comment on whether Porter could play for the Rockets this season.
Stone remarked, “I can’t answer that and still follow the policy.” Thus, I believe that once more, this is now a legal issue, and that’s where it’s taking place.
An NBA investigation’s conclusions may be used by the league to “fine, suspend, dismiss, or disqualify” a player “from any further association with the NBA and its teams.” However, no player’s contract has ever been revoked by the league due to a domestic violence incident.
After entering a not guilty plea to a felony charge of domestic abuse in criminal court and the league conducting its own independent investigation, Hornets player Miles Bridges was suspended for thirty games. Bridges was given credit for playing 20 games of his ban last season despite not signing with a team. This season, he will miss the first ten games.
Porter’s unhappy outburst in the locker room led to a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers that saw the Rockets acquire him in January 2021.
Due to an offseason weapons allegation that was subsequently dismissed after it was discovered that Porter’s mother, who was in possession of a permit, was the legal owner of both the weapon and the vehicle, he had not played during the first part of the season. Drug and traffic charges were also withdrawn.
Porter got into a violent argument with former assistant coach John Lucas during halftime of a Toyota Center game, and the Rockets suspended him for one game in January 2022. Porter then fled the arena.
As a student at USC, he had been suspended for “personal conduct issues” that were not explained.
But the Rockets thought he was getting better at managing his emotions, so before the previous season, they agreed to a big contract deal that starts this year.
Although no prior issue had reached the degree connected with the allegations in New York last month, the team nevertheless included alternatives in the contract with Porter to reduce some of the risk in the event that there were more issues.
Stone stated, “We structured that contract purely as a basketball matter, not with anything like this in mind.”
Only for this season is Porter’s deal, which is completely guaranteed to be paid $15.86 million in each of the following four seasons. It has $3 million guaranteed for next season if he is on the roster at the beginning of this season, and $6 million if he is not waived soon after the season, with merely $1 million guaranteed for following season. In addition, there are assurances related to team performance and minutes played.
Porter had started for the Rockets as their starting point guard the previous two seasons, but with the arrival of Amen Thompson, a draft pick, and free agent Fred VanVleet in the offseason, Porter’s role was anticipated to shift.
During his three years with the Rockets, Porter recorded averages of 17.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and six assists.
