Kenny Smith calls Rockets interview 'good first date'

The Jet caused an uproar by touching base with the Houston Rockets.

Kenny Smith met with Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and general manager Daryl Morey on Tuesday to discuss the head coaching vacancy at his former team. Smith didn't divulge specifics but said several positive things about the interview, including telling TMZ it was "a good first date."

"They have a clear vision of what they want to do," Smith told FOX 26, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. "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.

"Right now we're just staying in contact with each other. Then we'll see what happens from there. I'm a Rocket at heart. This is just a step. I've always been interested at some point in coaching. So I'm here. We're going to see."

A Houston favorite dating back to his two championships in six seasons with the Rockets in the '90s, the idea of bringing on Smith has inspired a groundswell of support. Fans on Twitter are trying to organize a rally at the Toyota Center in support of the potential hire.

There's just one small problem: Smith lacks coaching experience at the NBA or NCAA level. But he won't sweat it if the Rockets pass him up as a result.

"I have a heck of a job right now at TNT, that I'm extremely happy with," he said. "So there's got to be a lot of parameters on both ends to make things happen."