Rockets Reportedly Revive Extension Talks With Mike D'Antoni and Are Close to Deal

After another disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, some believed the Houston Rockets were in for a rebuild this offseason. Reports suggesting that *everyone* on the team was potential available in trade talks only furthered that speculation.

Bu it now seems like the team may try and make one more run with their current core of players. The first step is extending head coach Mike D'Antoni, and it appears that contract talks have been rekindled after becoming dormant.

Sources: The Rockets have rekindled extension discussions with coach Mike D'Antoni and are nearing an agreement. Houston owner Tilman Fertitta has removed the buyout language that was the sticking point when talks previously broke down.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 8, 2019

If the organization can get an extension done, D'Antoni will have a chance to be the head guy in Houston for the foreseeable future barring a major letdown in the immediate future. D'Antoni has posted a 173-73 regular season record since coming to the Rockets, but he hasn't seen the same type of success in the postseason, posting a modest 23-16 playoff record.

Despite having one of the most decorated backcourt duos in the league with James harden and Chris Paul, D'Antoni has yet to get his team to the NBA Finals. D'Antoni has always struggled to get over the hump in the postseason, to be fair, dating back to his days with the Pheonix Suns. He has a career playoff winning percentage of exactly .500.

Kudos to the Rockets for recognizing that D'Antoni deserved better terms than were initially offered and taking such a proactive step to repair the relationship. These parties have won too much together to come unstuck now https://t.co/u9ItcFm1Ij
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 8, 2019

Players seem to love playing for D'Antoni, which is a likely a huge reason why the Rockets brass are still open to bringing him back. But it won't matter how much his guys like his system if he continues to struggle when the games matter most.

We'll have to wait and see if the contract extension gets done this offseason. Nevertheless, Houston is in for an interesting summer.