Houston Rockets have great players, says new coach

HOUSTON - Houston Rockets' new head coach Mike D'Antoni said on Wednesday that Houston is a great city and the Rockets have great players.

"Houston is a great city, the team has great players," the 65-year-old D'Antoni said during his introductory press conference here on Wednesday.

D'Antoni spoke highly of the Rockets' shooting guard James Harden, who was traded to Houston prior to the 2012-13 NBA season. Upon joining the Rockets, Harden became one of the NBA's most prolific scorers and earned recognition as the best shooting guard in the NBA, as well as one of the top overall players in the league.

"I think it's a unique opportunity to coach one of the best players in the game. Harden is one of the best in the league," said D' Antoni, who was named the 13th head coach in team history on Wednesday during a press conference, replacing interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and former coach Kevin McHale, who was fired in November last year.

Harden also welcomes D'Antoni as the Rockets' new head coach, saying that he was excited about the opportunity.

"I've been hearing great things about him, what he brings to our team. Obviously, our assistant coaches (Jeff Bzdelik and Roy Rogers) as well. A new beginning and I'm excited about the opportunity," Harden said.

Leslie Alexander, the Rockets' owner, believes D' Antoni is the right person to bring the Rockets to a championship level.

"Mike's ingenuity laid the groundwork for what drives success in today's NBA, and we are confident in his ability to help reignite our pursuit of a championship."

D' Antoni, who has a career coaching record of 455-426, has been in the NBA since 1997 when he was an assistant coach with Denver. He is also known for favoring a fast-paced, offense-oriented system.

Besides the Suns, D'Antoni also coached the Lakers and Knicks. Last season, he was an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers.