Houston Columnist Throws Cold Water on Reports of Rockets and Mike D'Antoni Nearing Extension
By Ryan Flores
It seems like those reports of Mike D'Antoni's looming extension were a bit exaggerated. On Friday, Jenny Creech provided an update on the situation involving the Houston Rockets' head coach.
Apparently, D'Antoni and the Rockets aren't close to an agreement, although they have covered some ground surrounding the topic.
It doesn’t sound like D’Antoni and the Rockets are close to reaching an agreement yet even though some progress has been made.
— Jenny Dial Creech (@jennydialcreech) June 8, 2019
D'Antoni is under contract through 2019-2020, which means that he'll be a free agent should he and the club reach an agreement on an extension.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said D'Antoni was offered a $5 million one-year extension with an additional $1 million per round he won. The base salary is a slight raise, but under the current market of recent veteran coaches (Stotts, Casey, etc.)
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 30, 2019
It was recently reported that D'Antoni had received a one-year extension worth $5 million, with incentives that could give the deal a $9 million value. Given the current market for veteran coaches, it's understandable as to why he wouldn't take the deal.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said D'Antoni was offered a $5 million one-year extension with an additional $1 million per round he won. The base salary is a slight raise, but under the current market of recent veteran coaches (Stotts, Casey, etc.)
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 30, 2019
The Rockets would be wise to not heed his demands at the moment, as D'Antoni has yet to lead the Rockets to the promised land. Through three seasons with the team, he's posted a glamorous 173-73 record, but his résumé is plagued by back-to-back eliminations at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. Failure to reach the NBA Finals has haunted him throughout his coaching career, and continues to do so in Houston.
General Manager Daryl Morey has pondered trading just about everyone on the roster in an effort to shake things up, so who knows if D'Antoni will be the man for the job at that point. The Rockets certainly have a lot of thinking to do during this summer, as the team has apparently reached a crossroads.