Former Rocket Matt Bullard has talked with several teams about coaching

In a conversation regarding the Houston Rockets’ potential next coach, Matt Bullard revealed he’s looking to get into coaching himself.

The Houston Rockets are searching for a new head coach after Mike D’Antoni decided to move on to a new team. With the Rockets in the midst of their search, I asked Matt Bullard, member of the Clutch City team in 1994 and current color commentator for the Rockets on AT&T Southwest, his thoughts.

The Rockets will begin their first head coaching search in four years. Bullard is in a unique situation of being not only a former player but a color commentator for the Houston Rockets for almost 15 years.

Bullard gave his thoughts on possible candidates for the Rockets, which included two former teammates from his 1994 championship team. I also asked Bullard if he would be interested in coaching, and the NBA Champion gave some interesting comments.

Matt Bullard on the Houston Rockets’ next head coach

The Rockets season ended after the Lakers defeated the Rockets 117-98, winning the series 4-1. Now, they are searching for their next head coach and, I asked Bullard his thoughts on Sam Cassell as a possible candidate.

“I want Tillman to bring Clutch City back!” replied Bullard. “Sam is ready to be a head coach. Mario [Elie] is ready to come back to coaching. Let’s make it happen!”

Not only does Bullard think Cassell would make a great head coach, but he also mentioned another former championship teammate Mario Elie. Both Elie and Cassell have coaching experience.

Elie coached from 2003 to 2016, and Cassell has been coaching since 2009, the last six years with the LA Clippers. There is also a report that Cassell and the Rockets have mutual interest.

Sources: There is mutual interest between the Rockets and Clippers assistant coach Sam Cassell. Cassell started his playing career with the two-time champion “Clutch City” Rockets.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) September 13, 2020

This would bring Clutch City full circle, bringing back one of the most important players in Rockets history.

Bullard on his possible entry into coaching

With his experience as a former player and years of being an NBA analyst, Bullard has the insight to be a great coach in the NBA. That’s why I asked him if he’s considered going into coaching himself.

“I’ve already had preliminary conversations with several teams,” said Bullard, detailing that they were for assistant coaching positions. I also asked Bullard what would make him a good coach. “I’ve been able to watch and learn what works and what doesn’t. Booth to coach worked great for Pat Riley and Steve Kerr,” he replied.

Finally, I asked Bullard what his philosophy would be if he were to join an NBA bench. “I’d call it D’Antoni’s principle of making the best shots on the court as open as possible. There are lots of ways to do that, depending on the players’ strengths and skills.”

Before the beginning of next season, we could very well have multiple former Rockets champions on the bench as NBA coaches.