John Lucas: New Head Coach for the Houston Rockets?

The rumor mill has it that the Houston Rockets are currently searching for a new head coach. With Doc Rivers off the table, there is one candidate that seems to be mentioned time and time again.

This candidate would be none other than John Lucas. In fact, John Lucas has a history with the Houston Rockets that stretches all the way back to his playing days in the league as a point guard. The Rockets actually drafted him with the very first pick of the 1976 NBA draft, nothing to take lightly.

He then had three stints with the Rockets as a player, each lasting around one to two years. Lucas’s basketball career took a turn for the worse when longstanding problems with illegal drugs became public. Lucas, who was a cocaine user (and an alcoholic), submitted voluntarily to anti-drug and anti-alcohol treatment in order to stay in the league. Of course these years are far behind him, it is certainly a resume that few others hold for very bad reasons.

He has gone through drug rehabilitation programs which now make him eligible for the NBA coaching position. He currently works for the Rockets organization as a development coach. Lucas has had coaching experience before as he eventually became head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, who he led to two playoff appearances in as many years, and he also coached the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, with less success, holding a 173-258 career record.

The Houston Rockets currently have a star studded roster boasting James Harden and Russell Westbrook, whom apparently he has created great relationships with during his time as the development coach. Only time will tell if these rumors hold to be true, but nonetheless it will be exciting to see who the Houston Rockets fill their head coaching vacancy with.