The Houston Rockets are finally closing in on their new head coach.

After much deliberation and a number of interviews with qualified candidates from around the league, general manager Darly Morey and the rest of the Rockets' brass are most intrigued by Mike D'Antoni. A day after conducting a second interview with the conductor of the “seven seconds or less” offense in Phoenix, they're ready to take the next step.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Houston is preparing to make a formal offer to Mike D'Antoni.

Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

D'Antoni served as an assistant coach for Brett Brown and the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Previously, he was head coach for 12 seasons, most notably with the Phoenix Suns from 2003 to 2008. He won the Coach of the Year award in 2005.

Despite all of the success he had with Steve Nash out in the desert, there seems to be a stigma attached to his name thanks to his fruitless stints with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, two of the NBA's cornerstone franchises.

Jeff Van Gundy and Kenny Smith had been identified as favored candidates for the vacant head coaching position in Houston, but both have fallen out of the running since.

[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/j-b-bickerstaff-removes-himself-from-rockets-coaching-search/”]NEXT: J.B. Bickerstaff removed himself from the Rockets’ coaching search[/button]