Rockets' Leslie Alexander: Joint decision to hire Mike D'Antoni

HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander started Wednesday's news conference by telling the critics of his hire of Mike D'Antoni as his new coach that it was a dual decision with general manager Daryl Morey.

"Daryl and I made this choice together," Alexander said. "I've always wanted to play this way."

"This" way is up-tempo, something D'Antoni, 65, is known for, and the Rockets have bought into the new way of doing things in the league.

D'Antoni mentioned his excitement about Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Golden State and Cleveland as two jump-shooting teams that like to push the pace.

That's what the Rockets have tried to do over the last four seasons with Kevin McHale as coach. In the 2014-15 season, the Rockets won 56 games with an up-tempo approach and reached the West finals before losing to the eventual champion Warriors.

But McHale was fired after just 11 games this past season when the team wouldn't respond to him. Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff pushed the team into the eighth seed in the West, where the Rockets, again, were eliminated by the Warriors. After a nearly five-week search, the Rockets interviewed 12 candidates including D'Antoni twice. Alexander said he always admired him from afar, even during his times with the New York Knicks.

"Mike always says players love to play for him," Alexander said. "Not only because they get better, but they get paid. He'll be a lucrative source for us in free agency."

This is D'Antoni's fifth head coaching job. His biggest success came in Phoenix, with his "7 Seconds or Less" mantra and teams that were among the top-scoring teams in the league. Defense is where D'Antoni's teams struggled, and while statically they finished near the bottom, the pace of play dictated some of those issues.

The Rockets had similar problems on defense last season and Morey said after the season that fixing it was a priority. But hiring D'Antoni was an interesting choice, considering he's an offensive coach. But D'Antoni is coming with two defensive-minded coaches in Jeff Bzdelik and Roy Rogers.

"As one of the last shots that'll I have going forward, I wanted this chance to be able to get it all right," D'Antoni said. "Try to get my vision that I think how basketball should be played and I think we can win that way."

D'Antoni said he's spoken to the majority of the players returning to the team, including leading scorer James Harden. He has not spoken with Dwight Howard, who is about to become a free agent.

Rockets officials are open to Howard returning if he wants to accept a reduced offensive role and be the anchor of the defense. Morey and D'Antoni praised Howard but understand the business side of things.

D'Antoni said he like Clint Capela to possibly be the starting center. But with an expected influx of money (Howard's departure would clear nearly $40 million in cap space), the Rockets roster might add another elite player with Harden.

"We want to win all the time here, every year," Alexander said. "And try for a championship at all times. We wanted somebody who really was a master of the craft, who really know what to do and how to win."