Casting call for next Rockets' coach will be deep

[...] This time, Alexander and general manager Daryl Morey will issue a much larger casting call, from veteran head coaches to young assistants.

They began the process by requesting permission on Tuesday and Wednesday to speak with a long list of candidates not knowing quite where it will take them, with a roll call of candidates as long as the list of qualifications they will seek.

Beginning next week, Morey will interview Rockets assistant coach Jack Sikma and former Rockets forward Mario Elie, an assistant in Sacramento, and plans to speak with former head coaches Mike Brown and Mike Woodson.

The Rockets are interested in a long list of assistants, including San Antonio's Mike Budenholzer, New Orleans' Michael Malone, the Los Angeles Clippers' Dean Demopoulos, Philadelphia's Quin Snyder and Memphis' Dave Joeger, along with former head coaches Lawrence Frank, an assistant in Boston, and Dwane Casey, an assistant in Dallas. The Rockets will seek a meeting with the Lakers' Brian Shaw if he is not named the successor to Phil Jackson in Los Angeles.

Yet despite plans to speak to far more candidates than in the previous two searches combined, they know what they are hoping to find.

As with Morey's description of the players he wants, they will seek a coach on the rise and particularly with a determination to grow on the job. They will not, however, want someone who will need on-the-job training, instead seeking a coach with the experience to be in charge immediately and handle early rough spots.

They will want someone with Rudy Tomjanovich's hunger to learn, innovate and develop young talent; Jeff Van Gundy's determination to work until eyes bleed with an emphasis on preparation; and Adelman's infectious confidence through years of success.

Candidates can come in a variety of forms.

[...]

The track records of coaches jumping from the colleges has been shoddy at best, though in many cases, that could be because of factors that would not be in play.

[...]

Still, it is certain the Rockets will not look at college coaches with no NBA coaching experience.

Just as certain is that they won't hurry through their long list. Interviews will begin next week. Several teams with candidates working with playoff teams would allow their assistant coaches to interview during a break in the series, but others will ask the Rockets to wait. And the Rockets will wait long enough to see if other candidates become available.

The goals are clear. But with the Rockets seeking so many qualities, it is little wonder why they have such a long list of candidates to consider.

Casting call for next Rockets coach will be wide, deep | NBA Basketball | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Good to hear that the Rockets are going to be aggressive, I'm sure Morey is tired of all the hate he's been getting over the past few days and wants to prove that he knows what he's doing again to the fanbase.

I hate that we had to let go of Adelman like we did but it was time to move on. Rick wanted to win a championship and the Rockets wanted to rebuild after missing the playoffs for 2 straight seasons.

The Rockets to me are a mess. They look a like a franchise with no direction, and are riding on Yao who never plays lol. They just need to start from scratch.

The Rockets are a solid team but lack a star player to get them over the hump. Kevin Martin, Kyle Lowry, Luis Scola would make an excellent supporting cast to someone like Carmelo Anthony, who they pursued earlier in the season. They have the assets to get a star but have been rejected 3 times last year (Chris Bosh, Melo and Deron Williams) but with most of the teams that could compete with a Rockets' package out of the running (except for maybe the Clippers), I think they could have a legitimate shot at Dwight Howard or Chris Paul if either demand a trade in the offseason.

That said, if a superstar is out of the question then I wouldn't mind completely rebuilding, which we will likely end up doing. Plenty of youth on this Rockets squad already so we could in store for a very quick rebuild stage.