Rockets owner puts Mike D’Antoni’s fate in hands of GM Daryl Morey

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta either really knows how to empower his employees, or he’s really good at passing the buck.

Fertitta conducted an interview with the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen that is worth your time.

In the interview, Fertitta addressed D’Antoni’s contract status. D’Antoni’s contract is actually set to expire in July, though he is expected to fulfill his duties for the rest of the season. What will his future be after that? Fertitta says it’s up to general Daryl Morey to decide.

“I think I have one of the NBA’s great coaches in Mike D’Antoni,” Fertitta told Feigen. “And I think I have one of the best basketball ops groups, Daryl and his whole team. Personally, I love Mike. But I’m going to leave it up to the general manager. … I surely would like to have Mike back. If Daryl wants to have Mike back, I’m sure Mike is going to be back.”

D’Antoni, 69, is in his fourth season as Houston’s head coach. The team has had a winning percentage well over .600 in every year he’s been the head coach, reached the conference semifinals twice, and the conference finals once. They were eliminated by the Warriors the last two years and seem to believe they would have won if not for Chris Paul’s injury. All of that might not be enough for D’Antoni to maintain his job though.