Corey Brewer provides list of potential coaches for Rockets

Gianni Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks backs in on Corey Brewer #33 of the Houston Rockets. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

With Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey seeking a replacement for Mike D’Antoni, one of his former players offered several ideas for potential candidates.

The Houston Rockets are on the market for a new coach, after Mike D’Antoni abruptly decided that he was disinterested in remaining with the franchise beyond the 2019-20 season. D’Antoni was the winningest coach in franchise history and had the backing and support of James Harden, who is the face of the franchise.

D’Antoni fit Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s philosophy of Morey ball, as the Rockets hoisted an avalanche of 3-pointers and utilized the corner three to perfection. With the Rockets’ personnel, it would seem like D’Antoni’s replacement will likely have a similar approach, as it wouldn’t be wise to totally abandon the Rockets’ gameplan.

The Rockets have been linked to several coaching candidates, and will have competition across the league, as there are five other vacancies, which include the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers, and Chicago Bulls.

Former Rockets forward Corey Brewer shared his thoughts on what the Rockets should be seeking from D’Antoni’s replacement during his most recent appearance on SportsTalk 790’s The A-Team.

“They’ll have to look for a coach that’s able to deal with personalities. You have two superstars with two different games. But two supermax guys. They both need the ball, so you have to have a system so both can be comfortable and they both can have the ball/share the ball.

And you’ve gotta have a coach that’s going to have the guys playing hard. You’ve gotta play defense. I think a coach that can put up with two superstars can help this team win.”

Brewer is certainly right in that the next coach will need the buy-in of Harden and Russell Westbrook, and will also need to be able to construct a gameplan that fits Harden and Westbrook’s playing styles, which are polar opposites.

Brewer went further and provided a list of options for the Rockets, as they begin their search. Let’s delve into who he recommended!

Next: Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd

Brewer first mentioned his former Dallas Mavericks teammate Jason Kidd, who he won the 2010-11 NBA title with. Kidd is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, as made 10 All-Star appearances, six All-NBA teams, and nine All-Defensive teams.

Kidd posted averages of 12.6 points, 8.7 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game during his 19-year playing career, and his 107 triple-doubles currently rank fourth all-time, behind only Oscar Robertson, Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook, and Magic Johnson. Brewer explained his reasoning behind citing Kidd as a good candidate for the Rockets.

“I like Jason Kidd. I think he can get the guys to respect him.”

As pointed out earlier, Kidd definitely has the basketball resume to command the respect of Harden, Westbrook, and the entire roster. The Rockets haven’t been linked to Kidd, and we haven’t heard his name attached to any of the coaching vacancies thus far.

Kidd began his coaching career with the Brooklyn Nets, where he starred for seven seasons, leading the Nets to consecutive NBA Finals appearances. During Kidd’s first season as the Nets coach, the Nets went 44-38, earning the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets faced the third-seeded Toronto Raptors in the first round and pulled off the upset, as former Houston Rockets guard Joe Johnson averaged 21.9 points on 39.1 percent from three. Kidd’s Nets advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and faced the LeBron James-led Miami Heat, where they were simply outmatched, as they were eliminated within five games.

Kidd was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks at the end of his lone season as Brooklyn’s coach, amid reports that he tried to overthrow then Nets general manager Billy King, as he wanted to have a say so in the roster decisions.

In Milwaukee, Kidd was reunited with former Nets part owner Marc Lasry, who was a fan of the franchise great. The Bucks went 41-41 during Kidd’s first season with the Bucks, and were eliminated by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bucks regressed during the 2015-16 season, as they went 33-49, and missed the playoffs altogether. The Bucks had their best season under Kidd during the 2016-17 season, as they went 42-40 and ranked ninth in points allowed per game.

Milwaukee was eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Raptors, and it went downhill for Kidd from that point on. The Bucks got off to a 23-22 start to the 2017-18 season, and Kidd was fired midway through the season.

Kidd deserves credit for the development of Giannis Antetokounmpo, as Giannis posted significant improvements year after year under Kidd, as outlined below.

• 2014-15-12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 49.1 percent field goal percentage
• 2015-16-16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 50.6 percent field goal percentage
• 2016-17-22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 52.1 percent field goal percentage
• 2017-18-26.9 points, 10 rebounds, 52.9 percent field goal percentage

Prior to the 2019-20 season, Kidd became the assistant coach for Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel, and there was a wide array of speculation that Kidd was the coach in waiting for the Lakers. The Lakers finished with the best record in the Western Conference during the season and are currently battling the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

For that reason, the Rockets may have to wait awhile if they do in fact have interest in hiring Kidd.

Next: Tyronn Lue

Tyronn Lue

Brewer also mentioned Tyronn Lue as a potential candidate for the Houston Rockets, which isn’t surprising considering how Lue is one of the top targets on the coaching market. Lue just wrapped up his first season as an assistant coach under LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers’ staff, and will certainly not be back with the Clippers next season.

Lue has been linked to the Philadelphia 76ers, and he could wind up in New Orleans, as Pelicans GM David Griffin worked with Lue during his coaching tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Brewer provided an explanation of why Lue makes for a quality head coaching option.

“A guy like Tyronn Lue. I like him because he dealt with LeBron and all of those personalities. Kyrie in Cleveland. I feel like he’s really capable of dealing with the personalities and dealing with the situation. He’s won and he’s been around superstars.

When you have superstars on your team like the Rockets do, you need a guy like that. He’s been with Kyrie and LeBron. He’s also with the Clippers now and he has Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. And he played with Kobe. He played on those Lakers teams and he won championships when he was a player.

He knows how to win with guys who are at that status. He’s a good guy and I think he knows the game.”

As Brewer mentioned, Lue has experience with managing superstar egos and personalities, as he inherited a Cavs superstar duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, and was tasked with carrying the Cavs to championship contention in spite of rumored tension and friction between Irving and James. To make matters worse was the fact that the Cavs fired then coach David Blatt midseason and announced Lue as the replacement.

Lue defied the odds and led the Cavs to their first championship in team history, as the Cavs overcame a 3-1 deficit against the superteam Warriors to bring home the title during the 2015-16 season. Lue coached the Cavs for the next two seasons and led them to the NBA Finals in each season, including one without Kyrie Irving, who was traded to the Boston Celtics prior to the start of the 2017-18 season.

The Rockets have already been linked to Lue, and understandably so, as his offenses played fairly similar to the Rockets, as it pertains to firing away from deep, as illustrated below:

• 2016-17-2nd in 3-point attempts
• 2017-18-5th in 3-point attempts

The Rockets will likely have to move quickly if they really want Lue, considering the interest he’s drawn around the league. The Rockets will also have to meet Lue’s contract demands, as he turned down the Lakers’ head coaching job due to their unwillingness to offer him a five-year deal, as the Lakers proposed a three-year deal.

The Rockets have had three of their previous four coaches for just four seasons, and the lone exception was Kevin McHale, who was technically brought back for a fifth season, but was fired after just 11 games of the 2015-16 season. It’s also been reported that Lue is seeking an annual salary of $7 million, which would be more than the Rockets have ever paid any of their head coaches.

It’ll be interesting to see what the Houston Rockets end up doing, and even more interesting to see if Daryl Morey will take Brewer up on any of his recommendations.