Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni does not expect his lack of a long-term contract extension to be a distraction for the Rockets in the 2019-20 season.
D’Antoni is entering the final year of his contract in 2019-20. Houston and D’Antoni tried to get a contract extension done over the summer, but it never worked out.
“No,” D’Antoni said when asked by play-by-play broadcaster Craig Ackerman whether his contract could be a distraction, via Rockets Wire. “It will not change my focus or what I try to do. You try and take care of business in the summertime. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. So be it, it didn’t work out. We both tried.
“But it doesn’t change anything. How would it? It can’t change anything. The players… either I have a good relationship with, or I don’t. They can fire you with one year left on your contract, or with 15. What do they care? Coaches are a drop in the bucket.”
Mike D’Antoni is 173-73 with the Rockets in the regular season and 23-16 in the postseason. He won Coach of the Year during the 2016-17 season. D’Antoni guided the Rockets to the best record in the league in 2018. Houston lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the 2018 Western Conference Finals.
Next season is a big one for the Rockets, who acquired former MVP Russell Westbrook this offseason from the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Westbrook and James Harden leading the charge, many expect Houston to contend for a championship
Follow Us
Subscribe