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Report: Rockets finalizing deal to hire D'Antoni as head coach

Jeff Gross / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Houston Rockets have chosen Mike D'Antoni to be their next head coach, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reports, citing league sources.

The two sides are finalizing a four-year deal worth more than $16 million, with the fourth year being a team option, according to Wojnarowski.

D'Antoni spent most of this season as the associate head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, brought aboard when his former Phoenix Suns boss, Jerry Colangelo, took control of the front office.

D'Antoni's years on the Suns' sidelines made him a household name and helped revolutionize NBA offense. The up-tempo, spread pick-and-roll, 3-point oriented, seven-seconds-or-less attack he became famous for aligns almost perfectly with Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's basketball ethos.

D'Antoni was less successful in subsequent coaching stints with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, where he didn't win a single playoff game and presided over some of the league's worst defenses.

He also reportedly did not get along with center Dwight Howard when coaching him during Howard's lone season with the Lakers. Howard can opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and it was reported last week that he isn't expected to return to Houston if it means playing for D'Antoni.

The Rockets plan to fill out their coaching staff around D'Antoni, reports Wojnarowski, including possibly hiring Memphis Grizzlies assistant Jeff Bzdelik as defensive coordinator.

The Rockets are coming off a disappointing, dysfunctional season in which their defensive rating slipped to 20th in the league (it ranked sixth the season prior) and they were summarily dispatched in the first round after squeaking into the playoffs as an 8-seed. Kevin McHale, their head coach at the start of the season, was fired after just 11 games. His interim replacement, J.B. Bickerstaff, reportedly withdrew his name from consideration for the permanent job.

In parts of 12 seasons as an NBA head coach, D'Antoni amassed a 455-426 record, with six playoff appearances and two Western Conference final berths. He was named Coach of the Year in 2004-05.

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