Mike D’Antoni has liftoff.
The former Knicks head coach has agreed to take over the Houston Rockets, according to multiple reports, returning to the top seat on an NBA bench after a two-year hiatus.
The 65-year-old mastermind of the famed “Seven Seconds or Less” offense unites with All-Star guard James Harden to try to turn around a franchise that staggered to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference this season, a year after advancing to the conference finals.
D’Antoni is finalizing a four-year deal that will include a team option for the final year, according to The Vertical. He spent part of last season as an assistant coach with the 76ers.
D’Antoni achieved prominence with the Steve Nash-led Suns in the mid-2000s, made one playoff appearance in a three-plus-year stint with the Knicks that was highlighted by Linsanity and cratered to a 27-win finish with the Lakers in his most recent head-coaching season of 2013-14.
It all but certainly signals the end of Dwight Howard’s stay with the Rockets, given his well-chronicled clashes with D’Antoni in Los Angeles.