Report: 'Consensus' Is Mike D'Antoni Is Fired If Rockets Don't Make Title Run

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni may be coaching for his job during the 2019-20 NBA playoffs.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, the consensus among NBA executives he spoke to is that D'Antoni is unlikely to be back with the Rockets next season unless the Rockets make a deep postseason run.

D'Antoni is in the midst of the final year of his contract and his fourth season with the Rockets overall. The 34-20 Rockets are on pace to reach the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season under D'Antoni, but they are looking to avoid an exit in the second round or earlier for the third time in four seasons.

The Rockets are just two seasons removed from reaching the Western Conference Finals and coming within one win of the NBA Finals, but they fell to the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the playoffs last season and haven't been a top-tier team in the Western Conference this season.

In an effort to bolster their push for a championship, the Rockets traded point guard Chris Paul and multiple draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook in hopes that he could form a dynamic backcourt duo with James Harden.

Both Westbrook and Harden were named All-Stars this season, and they have been great statistically. Westbrook is averaging 27.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, while Harden is leading the NBA in scoring again with 35.3 points per game to go along with 7.3 assists and 6.5 rebounds.

Even so, the Rockets are only fifth in the Western Conference, and they aren't favored to beat out the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs.

The biggest issue in Houston is the supporting cast surrounding Harden and Westbrook. The Rockets lack a quality big after trading center Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks, and the likes of Eric Gordon, Robert Covington, Danuel House, P.J. Tucker and Ben McLemore may not lend enough support to make Houston a championship-contending team.

It is unclear what Bontemps means by a "deep" playoff run with relation to D'Antoni's job status, but if it means getting past the second round, the Rockets would have their hands full since that would currently require them to beat the Utah Jazz and Lakers in the playoffs.

The 68-year-old D'Antoni has enjoyed a ton of regular-season success during his NBA head coaching career with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Lakers and Rockets, as he owns a 662-519 record with nine playoff appearances, but he has yet to win the big one.

A D'Antoni-coached team has never reached the NBA Finals, and if the Rockets fail to do so again this season, they may soon be in the market for a new head coach.