It wasn’t long ago that Scott Brooks was being criticized for his uninventive offensive sets with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now he’s wrapped up a brief, yet poignant tenure as one of the NBA’s top head coaching candidates.
Taking one year off sure changes a lot, doesn’t it?
In Brooks’ case, absolutely. He was always a good leader of egos and strong defensive tactician; now that the Thunder are struggling to leave behind their uncreative ways under Billy Donovan, it’s at least partially clear he wasn’t responsible for their lack of variation.
Anyhow, Brooks is now head coach of the Washington Wizards, a move that was first reported by The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. And the Houston Rockets apparently aren’t happy about it, according to ESPN.com:
The Rockets, sources said, were optimistic as recently as Monday that Brooks would wait until their job is officially open before making any decisions. Sources said ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy was the co-favorite with Brooks in Houston, which trails its first-round playoff series against the Warriors 2-1 after Thursday night’s 97-96 win.
As one of the many teams expected to make a play for Kevin Durant this summer, it’s not at all surprising that the Rockets, who have also been linked strongly to Jeff Van Gundy, were hoping to give Brooks a look. But there was no reason for him to wait when 1) the Wizards were dangling $35 million in guaranteed money and 2) the Minnesota Timberwolves’ job, another one of the most sought-after positions, was scooped up by Tom Thibodeau.
Waiting only stood to diminish his options. The Wizards may have waited for him, they may have looked elsewhere. And then it would have been the Rockets or bust for him—unless, of course, he was willing to join that dumpster fire in Sacramento.
Houston must now hope none of its other top candidates sign elsewhere before the team’s playoff run is over. And that, truthfully, shouldn’t be a problem. Of the two remaining vacancies, with the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings, there isn’t one that’s especially appealing.
