With the 2022-23 NBA regular season officially in the books, some teams will focus on making a run in the NBA playoffs, while others will immediately try to improve their team, from the coaching staff to the players on the roster.
As always, at this time of year, head coaches around the league learn their fate, and that’s exactly what happened with Stephen Silas, who was let go by the Houston Rockets.
Even though the Rockets have been one of the worst teams in the league since trading superstar James Harden, Houston has become a desirable landing spot for some of the best coaching candidates in the NBA.
One of those candidates is current Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who has become a candidate to be Silas’ successor in Houston, with the Rockets being granted permission to talk to him about the team’s coaching vacancy, according to Tom Dierberger of NBC Sports.
Kenny Atkinson reportedly is a candidate to land the Rockets’ head-coaching jobhttps://t.co/Efiy7nmmG4
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 11, 2023
Atkinson has been an assistant coach in the NBA for most of his coaching career, with only one stint as a head coach during his time with the Brooklyn Nets.
Despite a short stint as a head coach with the Nets from 2016 to 2020, Atkinson made an impression and has been considered a sought-after coach ever since.
Last year, Atkinson withdrew from consideration for coaching vacancies around the league, but now he appears ready to get back to work as the leader on the sideline.
The Rockets may not seem like a desirable landing spot for a head coach right now, but they could land Scoot Henderson or Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft, changing the franchise’s direction.
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