Rockets GM could be facing 'make or break' offseason

Following a disappointing 2022-23 campaign, the Houston Rockets parted ways with head coach Stephen Silas on Sunday, the final day of the regular season calendar. With Silas gone, general manager Rafael Stone will now be scrutinized under the microscope. 

Plenty of big decisions await the franchise this summer and it could potentially be a "make or break summer" for Stone, per a report from The Athletic's Kelly Iko, Shams Charania and Sam Amick. 

In a crucial offseason for the team, the Rockets have the assets necessary to improve their roster. It will be up to Stone to make the right moves. 

His first job will be to settle on a new head coach. The Rockets will reportedly have a list of "about eight candidates" for their head coaching gig. Some early potential candidates include Nick Nurse, Kenny Atkinson, Frank Vogel, James Borreggo, Adrian Griffin and Ime Udoka.

Whoever the Rockets bring in, they will need to have a better dynamic than Stone and Silas. While the two reportedly got along, they butted heads over the GM's "looming presence" within the building.

According to The Athletic's report, Stone was often around the team, sitting in for practices and film sessions both in Houston and on the road. And Stone was not bashful about giving his opinion. Following one such instance ahead of the 2021-22 season, Silas spoke up, prohibiting Stone from interrupting sessions in the future.

Despite a 22-60 finish to the season, the Rockets are in surprisingly good shape for the future. Houston will have two first-round picks in June's NBA Draft and six potential choices in 2023. The Rockets also boast $71.9 million in cap space for 2023-24. 

After making eight-straight playoff appearances from 2012-13 to 2019-20, the team has posted three-straight losing seasons, dropping 60-plus games in each of the last two campaigns. While a quick turnaround is possible, there remains much work to do.