According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, the Houston Rockets have the Mavericks permission to interview assistant coach Dwane Casey for their vacant head coaching job once Dallas is eliminated from the playoffs. Stein’s sources seem to think that Casey is a credible option for the job:
Sources said that Casey is one of the more serious candidates on a long list of potential Houston targets to replace Rick Adelman, which stems partly from the Rockets’ high regard for Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. Casey came to Dallas with Carlisle to run the Mavs’ defense starting with the 2008-09 season after posting a record of 53-69 in 1½ seasons as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Sources say that the Rockets will not rush their search, however, to allow for the possibility that candidates not currently available — such as Orlando’s Stan Van Gundy — could suddenly hit the market like Adelman did, depending on what happens in the playoffs.
Casey posted a 53-69 record with the Minnesota Timberwolves over two seasons, which averages out to right about 35.5 wins a season by percentage. In their last four seasons since his firing, the Timberwolves have yet to win more than 24 games.
Casey joins Mike Woodson, Mike Brown, Jack Sikma, and Mario Elie as coaches that are confirmed to have interviews with the team.