In news first broken by ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Rockets traveled to Dallas yesterday for a pre-approved interview with Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey. Casey was the last Timberwolves head coach to approach anything near .500, and has been credited with helping the Mavericks turn their defense around.
Another out-of-left-field candidate came into view this morning when the Rockets added Pacers interim coach Frank Vogel to the mix. Vogel led the Pacers to a 20-18 record after Jim O’Brien was fired. No word yet on when the interview will take place. The Rockets reportedly resisted the urge to interview the rest of the Indiana coaching staff, although I’m sure the pull was quite strong.
Kevin McHale of TNT continues to be the only name on the Rockets list that hasn’t gotten an official interview yet. It seems likely that this will occur in the next few days, although the coaching search has definitely taken on a cloak-and-dagger quality of late, with the Rockets taking trips to see Casey and Lawrence Frank while they are still in the playoffs.