After the Rockets exited the NBA bubble and Mike D’Antoni announced his departure from the team, the organization has been on the hunt for a brand new head coach.
The Los Angeles Clippers also made an early departure from the bubble which has resulted in Doc Rivers announcing his departure from the team. In a statement on Twitter, Rivers said, “Thank you Clipper Nation for allowing me to be your coach and for all your support in helping make this a winning franchise. When I took this job, my goals were to make this a winning basketball program, a free agent destination, and bring a championship to this organization. While I was able to accomplish most of my goals, I won’t be able to see them all through. Though it was a disappointing ending to your season, you are right there and I know what this team is capable of accomplishing with your support. Thank you to all the players, coaches, and staff for helping us get here. Most importantly, thank you to the fans. We went through a lot, and I am grateful for my time here.”
According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets are interested. The pool of candidates for the Rockets to choose from is quite large and includes names like Kenny Atkinson, Sam Cassell, Jeff Van Fundy, and Tyronn Lue. One advantage that Rivers may have on the rest of the pack is that his son, Austin Rivers, is already a member of the squad. Does that matter in the long run? Not so much. But they’ve done it before. Who knows? Maybe that Texas air will make it a winning combination this time.