D'Antoni guarantees Rockets' defense will improve

Mike D'Antoni knows the Houston Rockets need to get better in order to contend, and he knows things especially need to change on the defensive end to avoid bowing out like they did in Game 6 of the conference semifinals.

"We took a lot of positive steps," the head coach told the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. "We had a positive year, and we can't fall backwards. We know this isn't good enough. It's not good enough for anybody. So, we will get better. We will add layers to the offense and defense.

"The offense starts off, we just had one layer in, and it was pretty good, but we can add to that. Defensively is where we are going to make our most strides and, again, we are talking about being a top 10 (defense). That is the key. I guarantee we will get better."

D'Antoni described defensive improvement as the "first step." Houston had the second-ranked defense in December, and leading up to Game 6, the Rockets were ranked third defensively in the playoffs, Feigen notes.

The bench boss singled out assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik's work for its importance.

"You are selling trust. We developed a bond between the players and the coaching staff. Jeff Bzdelik has done an incredible job," D'Antoni said. "In case you hadn't noticed, we aren't a very defensive-minded team, but Jeff is creating habits and that takes a while. That's our next big step, and we will get better at that next year."