As their rebuild continues, the Houston Rockets are ready to move to the next phase, according to general manager Rafael Stone. And that phase won’t include former head coach Stephen Silas.
As soon as the 2022-23 season ended for the Rockets (22-60) earlier this week, Silas had the team option on his coaching contract declined for the 2023-24 campaign. That put Houston into the coaching market, with names such as former Pacers, Magic, and Lakers head coach Frank Vogel; former Celtics coach Ime Udoka; former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson; former Thunder and Wizards coach Scott Brooks; and current Raptors coach Nick Nurse among the initial list.
The Rockets are expected to put a premium on experience in this search, with a proven name potentially able to help their market appeal in a 2023 offseason where they have approximately $60 million in salary cap room — likely the most of any NBA team.
However, as Stone acknowledged in Monday’s press conference, the Rockets will likely interview candidates without prior head coaching experience, as well, as they keep all options open. Houston’s third-year general manager expects the job to be quite attractive.
The team won’t issue official updates during its search, but tidbits from knowledgable sources are likely to emerge. As of Thursday, here’s what we’ve learned about the process and the candidates involved — which could soon include Nurse, now that Toronto is eliminated from the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Frank Vogel interviews
Nick Nurse eliminated
Rockets receive permission from Warriors for Kenny Atkinson interview
How James Borrego could use Alperen Sengun
Rockets look to interview Kevin Young, who Devin Booker endorses
Initial fan poll
Nick Nurse the betting favorite
Story originally appeared on Rockets Wire