Rockets Rumors: John Lucas 'An Emerging Candidate' to Replace Mike D'Antoni

Houston Rockets player development coach John Lucas is an "emerging candidate" to replace Mike D'Antoni as the team's head coach, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.

Per Stein, Lucas "served as the Rockets' player development coach on D'Antoni's staff for the past four seasons and has strong working relationships with Rockets star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook."

Lucas, 66, spent 14 seasons in the NBA with the Rockets (three stints), Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle SuperSonics, averaging 10.7 points and seven assists per game. 

He then turned to a career in coaching, spending two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs (1992-93 and 1993-94)—taking them to the playoffs in both campaigns—and two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers (1994-95 and 1995-96). After serving three seasons as an assistant with the Denver Nuggets, he spent one-and-a-half seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2001.

He's also worked as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers (2010-11) and on Houston's staff in recent years. In total, his record as a head coach is 173-258.  

While Lucas is apparently an emerging candidate, the Rockets have cast a wide net in their search for a new head coach:

It's an appealing job because of the team's talented core, which is centered around Harden and Westbrook. While a new coach may want some adjustments to the roster—D'Antoni didn't play with a traditional center, though a new coach may prefer a rim-protecting big man—the Rockets remain a contender because of their star guard duo.