Mike D’Antoni, Houston Rockets
One of the more fascinating head coaching situations to think about is Mike D’Antoni with the Houston Rockets. There has been a lot of success during his tenure but with James Harden reaching an MVP level during the bulk of the Golden State Warriors dynasty, it hasn’t resulted in title contention.
Had the Warriors not pulled off the series come back to eliminate the Rockets in the 2019 Western Conference Finals, D’Antoni wouldn’t be on this list. Even just making it to the NBA Finals would have helped quiet some of the criticism about his playoff performances.
The final season of D’Antoni’s contract is close to running out and he will have one last playoff run before it ends. The Rockets will need to make a decision in the offseason when it comes to D’Antoni’s future with the organization.
The main reason D’Antoni made this list is that if the Rockets have an underwhelming playoff run and decide to make a change, it’s no guarantee he lands with a contending team. It also wouldn’t help the narratives about his playoff shortcomings if that were to happen either.
