The Houston Rockets’ coaching search plows on.
As expected, the team interviewed former Rockets guard and current TNT analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith. And their meeting with him apparently went really well, per Fox Sports’ Mark Berman:
Former Rockets guard Kenny Smith, who is an NBA analyst with TNT and a candidate to become the next head coach of the Rockets, said he had “a great meeting” with team officials on Tuesday.
Kenny Smith told FOX 26 Sports he met with Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and general manager Daryl Morey for 2 1/2 to three hours at Alexander’s home in South Florida.
“I think the interview, all of that process, it goes well,” Smith said. “They have a clear vision of what they want to do. I have a clear vision of what I’d like to do. Sometimes you meet in the middle. Sometimes it doesn’t meet at all, but it was something that we both had to explore, and still exploring.
In addition to Smith, the Rockets have been linked to Jeff Van Gundy, David Blatt, Frank Vogel and San Antonio Spurs assistant Ettore Assistant, among others. Their position is not unattractive, even after the cruddy season they had in 2015-16. They have a legitimate superstar in James Harden and a few nice role players in Patrick Beverley and Trevor Ariza.
But with Dwight Howard likely bailing in free agency, that’s about all the Rockets have. They need to decide whether they’re rebuilding, perhaps even to the extent that they miss the playoffs and begin a fairly extensive reset, or if their plan is to revamp and retool as much as possible now, so they can remain in the Western Conference’s postseason picture.
Houston’s choice for its next coach, as well as its free-agency moves, will go a long way in crystallizing the timeline on which general manager Daryl Morey and owner Leslie Alexander are operating.
