NBA rumors: Rockets fire defensive coach after playoff loss to Warriors

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-rumors-rockets-fire-defensive-192902477.html



NBA rumors: Rockets fire defensive coach after playoff loss to Warriors




Drew Shiller
NBC Sports BayArea•May 18, 2019, 12:29 PM




Jeff Bzdelik no longer is an assistant coach with the Rockets.

The team fired its defensive coordinator Saturday, a source told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.


Jonathan Feigen

@Jonathan_Feigen
Don't know if this was the case, but if Bzdelik remained unsure if he wanted to return for another season, the Rockets might have wanted to proceed with candidates now, rather than when many could line up other jobs.

107
12:11 PM - May 18, 2019


The move comes eight days after the Warriors ended the Rockets' season for the fourth time in the last five seasons, although it sounds like Bzdelik's exit was only a matter of time.


Jonathan Feigen

@Jonathan_Feigen
Asked about his thinking for next season after initially retiring last season, Bzdelik had been publicly noncommittal about his plans.

29
11:44 AM - May 18, 2019



Jonathan Feigen

@Jonathan_Feigen
Don't know if this was the case, but if Bzdelik remained unsure if he wanted to return for another season, the Rockets might have wanted to proceed with candidates now, rather than when many could line up other jobs.

107
12:11 PM - May 18, 2019



Jonathan Feigen

@Jonathan_Feigen
I asked Bzdelik last month if he wanted to be back. Said, "That's a really good question. I don't know the answer to it. First of all, none of us have any guarantees on tomorrow. Second, you have to ask my wife. I don't think it's that big of a deal."

83
12:15 PM - May 18, 2019


Bzdelik, who was the team's associate head coach in 2017-18, was credited with building one of the NBA's best defenses over the last couple of seasons. He retired in mid-September, just before training camp opened.

Houston got off to a terrible start, losing five of its first six games, and owner Tilman Fertitta reportedly led the recruiting efforts to bring Bzdelik back to the bench. The 65-year-old eventually returned full time on Nov. 23.

The Rockets boasted the second-best defensive rating in the NBA (105.3) over the final 25 games of the regular season. But against the Warriors in the second round of the playoffs, the Rockets' rating slipped to 114.1 (which would have been the sixth-worst mark in the league during the regular season).


Then again, Golden State has one of the best offenses in NBA history, so it's hard to blame Bzdelik for that.



bob
MY NOTE: Mike Antoni (No "D") had a defensive coach? Never noticed...



.

Funny, the defensive coach gets fired, but D'Antoni keeps his job even though his offensive plan didn't work. Give them time, he will be gone by halfway thru next season if they struggle at all. Darrell Morey is supposed to be a genius, but he has lost four times in a row. Until GSW blows up they will be the champs (although I wonder about Milwaukee this year, they are on a mission)