Rockets coaching candidates had better be prepared to discuss defense and team chemistry in their job interviews, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. GM Daryl Morey offered few clues beyond that in a press conference this week as the team decides whether to replace interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Owner Leslie Alexander is a strong believer in an up-tempo attack with a heavy emphasis on 3-pointers, but Morey said running that system won’t be a prerequisite for the next coach. The Rockets are known as pioneers of analytics in the NBA, but none of Morey’s coaches has been a strong believer in numbers. Feigen notes that every coach Alexander has hired came to Houston with previous head coaching experience but adds that the organization targeted several assistants before hiring Kevin McHale and is expected to do so again. The writer mentions ex-head coaches Jeff Van Gundy, Lionel Hollins and Jeff Hornacek as possibilities, along with Adrian Griffin, Ettore Messina, Jay Larranaga and Jim Boylen.
There’s more out of the Southwest Division:
- Pelicans GM Dell Demps and his staff are preparing for the draft and free agency, even though the team hasn’t confirmed that Demps will keep his job, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate.
- The Mavericks can offer one max contract to free agents this summer and possibly a second if Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons follow Deron Williams and opt out for next season, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Dallas entered the offseason expecting to have at least $32MM to spend, but that number could rise closer to $60MM if Nowitzki, Parsons and Williams all opt out. Bontemps notes that Dallas is counting on landing an elite free agent this summer after last year’s near miss with DeAndre Jordan. He adds that owner Mark Cuban is trying to surround Nowitzki, who’s likely to remain, with as much talent as possible before he retires.
- Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram suggests Rockets center Dwight Howard is the first name on the Mavericks‘ free agent wish list. Price believes Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, Chicago’s Pau Gasol and Atlanta’s Al Horford are other centers Dallas will target if it can’t land Howard.
I know Mavs are hungry for star power but this is just desperate.
It’s not desperate in my opinion. The Mavericks just want some star players around Dirk next season and he wants to win and he’s loyal to the mavs. Dwight Howard is a good idea but he’s not really the guy that I would want. I would like Pau Gasol to come to Dallas. Ok sure that he is an older player but he can still contribute. If you let Parsons walk, then you could see Dallas bring Justin Anderson back and maybe he’ll be the starting 4 for the Mavericks. I’m trying to be realistic too on this even though they’re going to pitch to LeBron and KD this off-season. I would like to see the Mavericks go after Boogie. He’s a young player with a lot of potential. Do I think that the Mavericks should bring back D-Will? Yes but he might have to see on the bench and he has had good numbers coming off the bench. Going after Conley would be a good idea too but he’s too loyal to Memphis. Hopefully the Mavericks don’t strike out again or otherwise they’re not going back to the playoffs.
The likely scenario is that they bring both D-Will and Parsons back. Anderson is a rookie, there’s no chance he’s going anywhere anyway. Afterwards, Parsons will likely try to recruit Dwight as he did for Houston and if that fails, they go after others.
Honestly, Dwight for Dallas makes more sense than Pau. You need a defensive presence in the paint with Dirk at PF, not another scorer. In that sense Dwight makes a lot of sense for them because he can fill the void left by Chandler. Having said that, as a Rockets fan, you should be warned about his ego. He’s not a scorer, he only scores on dunks (Dallas seem to not have a problem with that having pursued DeAndre) but he’ll demand the ball anyway and will sulk if he doesn’t get it. He’s not bad but Houston’s already got a guy who can do what he does on a small contract in Clint Capela. All that without drama as well.
Will the Mavericks give Dwight the money is the question?