Who will it be and when will we know?
Here's why the Rockets should have a new coach by the end of the week
Oct 27, 2020, 11:16 am
Van Gundy makes the most sense. Photo by Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images
Last week the NBA's board of governors announced that it would be pushing for a December 22 restart and a 72 game season.
If you're a basketball fan, this is great news. If you're a basketball player, it's apparently also great news.
If that gets my summer off season back lol https://t.co/iukbRDdBok
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) October 26, 2020
If you're a basketball franchise without a head coach, however, it may be perceived as a bit of a time crunch.
With 56 days left before the suggested start of the new NBA season, the Houston Rockets have yet to announce a new head coach. If you sort through the tea leaves, however, it's possible that we may already know who and when they'll announce the hire.
The Rockets have reportedly narrowed their search down to former Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy, Mavericks assistant Coach Stephen Silas, and current Rockets assistant John Lucas.
Van Gundy comes with proven pedigree as a head coach that has taken a team to the NBA finals, lives in Houston, and left as a fan favorite.
Silas is looked at as more of a potential hire, along the lines of the Celtics when they hired Brad Stevens; unproven as a head coach but widely regarded as capable.
Lucas is currently the player development coach for the Rockets and has been endorsed by James Harden as a potential suitor for the job. Lucas is a good assistant, but currently holds a career head coaching record of 173-258.
So who will the Rockets pick?
Lucas, to me, comes off more as a courtesy interview by the front office to placate Harden. Nothing about his history as a head coach suggests that his hiring would signal a commitment to excellence by the front office. He's off my board.
It's really (hopefully) down to Van Gundy and Silas. With Van Gundy you can point to his previous success, and with Silas you can point to his potential. Both would be easy to sell to a disappointed fan base.
It's in this argument that I find Van Gundy as the more likely option. The front office is facing its first general manager change in 13 years. New GM Rafael Stone was promoted from within, but has never been a GM before. It would make sense then to bring in an established name to pair with a new GM provided Van Gundy is willing to buy into Stone's philosophy.
Another thing to consider is that, between the two, Van Gundy is also the flashy hire. In case you forgot who the Rockets casino-owning owner is, he has a penchant for flashy hires. As the Chairman of the University of Houston System board of regents, he was instrumental in bringing Kelvin Sampson and Dana Holgerson coach the men's basketball and football teams respectively. Both coaches were pulls from Power 5 conferences.
When will we know?
This is the easier question. Former GM Daryl Morey announced his resignation on October 15, right in the middle of the interview process. He did, however, indicate that he would stay on in an advisory role until November 1. There isn't too much to read into beyond that. Why else would Morey stay on other than to help finish the head coach selection process? Stone has been one of Morey's top assistants for some time, so the change of responsibility can continue to be facilitated beyond November 1. It's not like he can't call Morey after Halloween for advice. So my money is on a head coach announcement by the end of the week.
Needless to say there are plenty of questions surrounding the Rockets this offseason. It looks like at least one of those should be answered sooner than later.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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