Well, we really haven't heard much about it.

You know, last night, obviously there is the vote on, and I've been kind of operating as if training camp was going to start December 1st.

And we're going to start the season December 20 seconds.

So as far as the preparation is concerned, it really hasn't been that much of, ah, of a surprise.

But it is a short window, and I have a lot that I wanna do.

But mainly for me, it's the players.

And making sure that the players are gonna be healthy and that we wrap it up in a smart way toe where there won't be any injuries or lagging are lingering injuries going forward, Coach, or I can't even put in the words how happy I am for you to be an assistant coach in the NBA for 20 years.

I haven't, you know, obviously has been a long It was a long time since I've seen your dad.

But, you know, I'm very familiar with you in the job that you've done over the last 20 years as an assistant.

Congratulations to you.

I wanna know.

What was it about this job that you liked so much?

We say James Harden, we say Russell Westbrook.

But there's so many questions about them.

I'm told both of them signed off on you on.

Obviously, ownership obviously believes in you a lot.

Talked to me about what was attractive for you, Uh, in regards in regards to this job.

Well, there's so much.

I mean, it starts with ownership and Tilman Fertitta has a plan and believes in me and is not afraid to spend, which is amazing.

And Aziz, you've alluded to in previous interviews that, you know, you need an owner that believes in you, especially as a young African American coach.

And that's just a fact.

And, uh, that that really shows what kind of guy he is and what kind of management that we have here fell.

Stone is the new GM and enjoy talking to him, and we clicked right away.

And ah, lot of the things that I believe as far as how basketball should be played that I've learned from my dad and Don Nelson and Rick Carlisle over the years.

Ah, lot of the things that they're interested in here is well, and then, as you alluded to have two of the best players in the NBA two MVPs, two future Hall of Famers and the ability to win it and win it all where I don't have to be in a rebuilding situation, this is the ideal job for me.

After working for so long and so hard to to get to this point to be with this organization, it's a perfect fit.

Coach.

Congratulations on the job and you inherit a good roster and a roster that seemed like when they traded Capella on Like, What do they must get a center?

No, they went what they call microbe, All right, so Westbrook stop shooting so much he penetrates and either kicks or finishes, and and and he's where you get the paint play and and it's a new like the next level of off what we're seeing in the n B A.

So I wonder what changes are you continuing with that lineup as the kind of basis of the offense or you making changes to that concept?

But it's really based on how we're fell and I and mostly we're fell, puts the roster together.

You know, the small ball was very much a product of the roster that they had.

Obviously, I wanna have multiple ways of playing.

I think toe have playoff success.

You have to have multiple ways of playing on both ends of the floor.

So having a traditional center would be good for me.

So I would be able to play small like they've done in the past and like I did 15 years ago when I worked for Don Nelson and then played big.

What the rolling center, someone playing in the dunker and the matchups will be a little bit better for our group.

And then the defense and rebounding would be a little bit better as well.

So my goal is toe.

Have multiple ways of playing on both ends of the floor and raffles looking to put together a roster so I could do so.

I can imagine your answer to this question, but I'll ask it anyway.

Obviously what Mike D'Antoni, incredibly innovative offensively, the man is brilliant on the offensive side of the ball defense.

I won't get into that.

I'm trying to be nice today, but But in the end, what it comes down to is this.

People look at the team that he's coached over the last several years.

Recognizing him is a pretty damn good coach.

But in the end, you look at Russell.

You look at James Harden.

You look at a team that's built to be successful in the regular season, not necessarily the postseason.

Specifically, if you can speak to it, how would you modify things compared to what we've seen from the Houston Rockets over the last four or five years?

What would you do toe?

Have them better prepared for a postseason run?

Yeah, that's a really good point.

And use the regular season toe.

Prepare for the playoffs, right?

So if you have multiple ways of playing, if you have, um, the ability to play bigger or play smaller now when you get to the playoffs, you don't You have multiple tools in your toolbox to go to, um, there won't be quite as many isolations as we've seen in the past.

Those guys have had to work so hard toe, get their greatness and get to what makes them really successful.

But in the playoffs, you see it stalls because there aren't really, uh, 3rd, 4th option to go to.

So for my my point of view, Optionality is gonna be everything and getting a little bit more ball movement, getting a little bit more player movement, letting those guys play on the move a little bit more so they won't see quite as many double teams.

And then as the playoffs come, we could go to that stuff toe where it won't be quite as predictable, especially in a 57 game.

Siri's when you're trying to deal with someone who is preparing and sees you game after game after game, you have to have something else to go to.

And that's what I'm planning to dio coach.

The philosophy under Daryl Morey and Mike D'Antoni was.

I don't think the Rockets ever had the best guys in terms of converting all these things, but they placed the most good bets threes, paint free throws.

We're just going to do that because those are the best bets you can make and we're gonna keep doing that and we've seen as you said in the playoffs, like a guy like Rondo succeed because he's like a coach on the floor and that's really coaches time The playoff plays out of time outs and who understands it the best.

So it does this what you're talking about.

Empower James Harden and Russell Westbrook in certain ways.

You think Mawr than they were empowered in the past.

I would give them or ownership and Optionality Teoh be able to do different things on the floor.

But for me to come in here and and expect for the team, that's the sixth best offensive team in the MBA to change and go away from the things that were successful doesn't make any sense to me.

So there, those guys, they're gonna be doing very much.

They're gonna be playing very much in a similar way, but with some tweets and some adjustments to make it a little bit easier for them.

Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.