Rockets introduce D'Antoni as coach

The Houston Rockets made the hiring of Mike D'Antoni official on Wednesday, introducing the new coach at an afternoon press conference.

The hire comes as the Rockets look to return to competitiveness in the upper echelon of the Western Conference. By bringing aboard D'Antoni's fast-paced offensive style, the team hopes to compete with the Golden State Warriors, whom the Rockets lost to in the 2015 conference finals.

"I always wanted to play this way," Rockets owner Leslie Alexander told reporters. "You look at the top three teams in the west, they all play this way."

D'Antoni also introduced Jeff Bzdelik as his lead defensive assistant. Bzdelik had worked for the Memphis Grizzlies for the past two seasons.

D'Antoni becomes the 14th head coach in Rockets history. He most recently served as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers for part of this season, after last holding the reins of an NBA team with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2012-14. His biggest successes came with the "Seven Seconds or Less" Phoenix Suns from 2003-08, racking up a 253-136 record and two trips to the Western Conference finals.