Mike D’Antoni Making Big Changes To Rockets Roster
Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni is making big changes to the roster when the season resumes. More specifically, he is planning to expanding his roster due to conditioning issues stemming from the coronavirus-related disruption in play.
Speaking to reporters this week, D’Antoni acknowledged this much.
“With [GM] Daryl [Morey] and data, with how we think gives us the best chance to win, it probably comes down to nine guys,” he said.
“Now, who those nine are they could change, and maybe early we experiment, practice and watch. And obviously you’re also biased about their previous play. So I go in with the notion of how I think it’s going to be. I can change my mind. I don’t want to watch practice or games and think ‘Wait a minute, this guy’s better than this other guy.’
“But realistically, you start playing James [Harden], Russell [Westbrook], P.J. [Tucker], Robert [Covington], and Eric [Gordon], those five you’re going to give a bunch of minutes to,” D’Antoni added. “You don’t want to wear them out, but at the same time, you don’t want to be fresh for October. They’re going to be tired and it’s going to be a grind. It’s going to be something that you have to play through. We try our best to keep them as fresh as we can. But at the same time, that leaves minutes for the other guys. And then it comes down to philosophy.”
Although the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are widely regarded as the favorites to represent the Western Conference in the Finals, the Rockets are still a solid dark horse contender.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
