According to report from ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Sam Cassell and the Houston Rockets could be teaming up in the near future.
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00:00 On Sunday, Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni reportedly informed the franchise
00:04 he would not be returning after the team's elimination from the NBA playoffs in the second
00:08 round.
00:09 According to a report from ESPN's Tim McMahon, there is mutual interest between the organization
00:14 and LA Clippers assistant coach Sam Cassell.
00:17 He's certainly qualified for the position.
00:19 Cassell has been coaching since 2009, first at the Washington Wizards before joining Doc
00:23 Rivers' staff in Los Angeles in 2014.
00:27 Rivers thinks highly of him as well.
00:29 Last Thursday, he spoke at length about why Cassell deserves to be head coach in the NBA,
00:33 saying, "He's got an incredibly high basketball IQ, and I hope he gets a shot.
00:38 He's paid every due that's possible, and he's actually good at the job.
00:41 So I hope that happens."
00:42 There are a number of coaching vacancies around the NBA right now, but given Cassell's connections
00:46 to Houston, it certainly makes sense why there is an interest between the two parties.
00:50 Before he was a coach, Cassell spent 15 years in the league as a player.
00:54 He began his career at the Houston Rockets, helping them win back-to-back NBA titles in
00:58 his first two seasons, in 1994 and 1995.
01:02 Cassell played both guard positions throughout his career as well, making him an obvious
01:05 choice to pair with players like James Harden and Russell Westbrook if they do stay in Houston
01:10 beyond this season.
01:11 In addition to Cassell, Clippers assistant coach Tyronn Lue and TV color analyst Chauncey
01:15 Billups have also drawn interest from teams looking to fill head coaching vacancies, most
01:19 notably the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers, the Pacers being the favorite to land
01:24 Chauncey Billups, and the Sixers having a mutual interest with Tyronn Lue.
01:29 If all three end up leaving LA, Doc Rivers' coaching staff could look very different as
01:33 Clippers head into next season.