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As the Houston Rockets head to Wednesday night’s decisive Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, there is no shortage of questions about what happens if Houston loses.
What does this do to James Harden’s legacy? And Russell Westbrook? How about that big $ 74 million extension (including options) from Eric Gordon? He of the current 18.6 percent of three Eric Gordon. Can the Rockets move that?
But perhaps there is no question as important as the future of Mike D’Antoni. If the Rockets lose tomorrow, how will they bring him back?
Yes, he has the highest winning percentage of any coach in franchise history at .682 (217-101). Yes, he’s led the Rockets to the playoffs every season he’s been in town, and he held the key to unlocking The Beard’s full potential as one of the best players in the league and a perennial MVP candidate.
But the team, for various reasons, has not yet been able to overcome the hurdle. If they falter tomorrow night, the Rockets won’t lose to their first-round opponent. This is the 4-seeded vs. 5-seeded showdown, technically the most prone to a first round upset. And these two teams finished with exactly the same record in the regular season. On paper, it wouldn’t be a bad loss.
But no, it’s how it happened that will be the undoing of D’Antoni, with the Rockets squandering fourth-quarter leads in all three losses, with just one horrible play down the stretch from just about everyone. And that has long been a criticism of the teams led by D’Antoni. You can’t win when it matters most. The Rockets seem more talented. They don’t seem as tough mentally as the Thunder right now, and that responsibility stops with the coach.
Also, if a loss occurs, there is the Chris Paul story. The former Rocket was traded for Westbrook in the offseason after being mostly washed out the previous year in Houston and frankly unable to beat his man on the dribble.
Then the Rockets were forced to make drastic changes to accommodate Westbrook’s game, trade center Clint Capela and adopt a small-ball approach that has had mixed results since its inception. One night, the Rockets look unbeatable. The next night, they could have trouble with a league bottom feeder. While that’s one of the side effects of Houston’s high-variance offense, unfortunately it wasn’t their three-point shot that finished them off. It was an execution at the decisive moment.
Meanwhile, CP3 spent the year looking rejuvenated in Oklahoma City, leading what many thought was a lottery team to the middle of the playoff group thanks to their veteran leadership and their game at the decisive moment.
Paul brought that clutch to this series, completely dismantling the Rockets’ defense in the fourth quarter of OKC’s Game 6 win, knocking the boys down on the dribble and taking 3s.
The point of all of this is that the reason D’Antoni is the most important domino is that technically he is the perfect coach for Houston’s micropall approach. If he does, that could be a harbinger that the Rockets will face some major roster changes.
What coach do you bring in to handle the Pocket Rockets approach if not for Mike? I’m sure there are guys willing to give it a go, but with just a season or two of James Harden’s prime, now is not the time to play with a coach who think he can make it work.
If D’Antoni goes, it’s very likely that Eric Gordon will too. Or the team is at least doing their best to make sure it does. Russ’s contract is ridiculously nontransferable (over $ 40 million per year through 2023), but you never know with Morey. Chris Paul was also virtually non-transferable.
PJ Tucker is injured, does not play very well and will turn 36 next year. He also has a contract that expires in 2021. Austin Rivers has a minimum veteran contract that expires in 2021 as well. I don’t want to mention the unthinkable in a James Harden trade, but the wild card in all of this could be owner Tilman Fertitta. Who knows if it will demand a full and total explosion with the team unable to make any real free agency moves? The only way to change or improve right now is to trade.
But all of this becomes moot if the Rockets win tomorrow night. I mean, could D’Antoni not be retained even if the Rockets fall in the second round? Sure … but I think let’s say … an entertaining and competitive six or seven game series against Los Angeles, and D’Antoni has a very good chance of being asked to come back (just a hunch). I think the Western Conference Finals and beyond, and he’s definitely back.
Now, this is all assuming D’Antoni wants to go back. He’s already been linked to the Indiana Pacers, who just fired Nate McMillan. There will be options to train elsewhere if that is what you want.
Ultimately, the stakes are high in Game 7 on Wednesday, but most of it starts with what happens to the coach. If Houston loses, the dominoes could start to fall.
I have to win. I don’t think I can handle the NBA’s Twitter through an offseason trade from the Rockets.
