NBA: D’Antoni defends offseason of the Rockets

After the loss of the forwards Luc Mbah a Moute and Trevor Ariza, the offseason of the Houston Rockets was criticized by many experts. Head Coach Mike D’Antoni understands this, but remains optimistic.

After Houston last season’s 65 victories and Match 7 of the Conference Finals, the off-season was considered a step backwards for the Rockets, as two very important players were lost and only replaced by Michael Carter-Williams, James Ennis and the German Isaiah Hartenstein. According to various media reports, Carmelo Anthony is to be added to the list, but his personality is also sometimes viewed critically.

D’Antoni thinks that’s an exaggeration. “I don’t want to look snide, but that’s exactly how it was criticized when we brought Chris[Paul] and James[Harden] together,” the coach told the Houston Chronicle. “And I understand why they did that. But they don’t know what’s going on within the team.”

“They also don’t know 100 percent what’s important and what isn’t, which players we definitely can’t lose and which we can replace. I understand that,” D’Antoni continued. “It is our job to refute the criticism. And we’ve been doing that for two years now. James can’t be a point guard, these guys can’t play together, and so on. We still have a big step ahead of us.”

One must not lose sight of the goal. “If we want to beat Golden State – and everyone is working towards that – then we have to take a few risks and hope to find the right mix. That doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen, but I’m confident. I hope we can make the final step.”

However, as D’Antoni admitted: “You hate to lose Trevor and Luc. But that happens. That’s business and we’re gonna miss her. But at the same time it also creates opportunities for other players. We’re looking forward. It’s changed, but we want to make the most of it.”

The Rockets would have liked to keep both forwards, but priority this summer was given to Chris Paul, who signed a new four-year contract for 160 million dollars, and Clint Capela, with whom agreement was reached a few days ago on five years and 80 million dollars (plus 10 million in possible bonus payments).

D’Antoni said: “I don’t think a new contract will change Chris’s life – that was pretty good before. But it definitely changed Clint’s life.”