Despite an almost obsessive quest to overtake the Golden State Warriors this season, the Houston Rockets fell short of their goal and bowed out in the Western Conference semifinals this season.
For owner Tilman Fertitta, that’s not good enough, and he vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure that the franchise is even better next season.
“We put a team together that should have gotten to the Western Conference finals,” Fertitta told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “You can’t say ‘I’m going to go win the championship.’ Or, ‘I’m going to go win the Western Conference or Eastern.’ All you can do is put a team together to be one of the top four teams. Then … you need luck, from (avoiding) injuries to hitting a last-second shot. You want to always set yourself up to get to the conference finals.
“I’ve directed my people to get better next year — anything we can do, from ownership to conditioning and training, all the way to that level. If we can make our team better player-wise, we’re going to make our team better. If we can make our team better coaching-wise, we’ll make our team better.”
In spite of the comment on coaching, Fertitta confirmed that Mike D’Antoni will return in the same interview.
It’s fair to say that Fertitta was both deeply frustrated and extremely motivated by Houston’s exit from the playoffs. They’re an ambitious organization, but Chris Paul’s contract and the rest of their roster construction will limit how much they can do unless they make a huge move. It won’t stop Fertitta from trying.
