Rockets fire McHale

[Jackal]

After struggling to a 4-7 start to the season, the Houston Rockets parted ways with coach Kevin McHale on Wednesday morning, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Assistant coach JB Bickerstaff will take over as the interim head coach, with assistant Chris Finch ascending to associate head coach, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

McHale delivered the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals a year ago, but four straight blowout losses and a roster struggling to respond with effort pushed the organization to make a move to salvage what had been expected to be a season of championship contention.

Only 11 games into the season, the move reflects owner Leslie Alexander's seriousness about winning within the present window with James Harden and Dwight Howard. Alexander and management, including executives Daryl Morey and Gersson Rosas, made the decision on Tuesday to replace McHale, league sources said.

McHale signed a three-year contract extension a year ago and is owed approximately $12 million. He went 193-130 in four-plus seasons with the Rockets and is the winningest coach, by percentage, in franchise history.

Bickerstaff was promoted to transform the league's second-worst defensive team. Houston lost 111-95 to Boston on Monday night, and as much as anything, the Rockets have failed to get new point guard Ty Lawson playing well for them.

Bickerstaff is a rising star in the coaching profession and the son of longtime NBA head coach Bernie Bickerstaff. He oversaw a Rockets defense that moved into the NBA’s elite a year ago. General managers around the league, including in Houston, believed it was just a matter of time until Bickerstaff was a successful head coach in the league.

There are no assurances long-term for Bickerstaff in Houston, but he has the opportunity to earn the job on a full-time basis. The organization has faith in a Bickerstaff-Finch partnership for now, and decided to make the move to find a different voice to lead the locker room.

Houston has reached a softer spot in the schedule with its next 11 games against teams with a combined 48-77 record, and Bickerstaff will have a chance to stabilize the Rockets.

Nevertheless, the Rockets are pushing for results now, and several elite coaches with Rockets ties in the past – including Jeff Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau – could lurk as future candidates. Another strong candidate with Houston ties, Charlotte’s Steve Clifford, could be a free agent this summer.

For now, though, the job and opportunity belong to Bickerstaff, who’ll have every chance to make it his own.

Dayumn.

Not all that unexpected with their poor start.

[I Hate Mondays]

Noooooo. I loved his signature limping in 2K16

[air gordon]

Revisionist historian? It was only 11 games in and owed quite a sum of money

Figured mchale had earned more leeway given his overall success

I'd be ecstatic if Thibs gets hired

I heard 3 rocket starters were shooting 30% heading into this week. That is dreadful, captain obvious

[mp3]

It's the old saying "can't fire the players" but the Rockets players really let there coach down here.

I watched a game the other day and the Rockets were horrible on defence and it was only the first quarter too.

The players just didn't come to play and Hardens poor performances are being pinned on the khole and Lamar thing.

[Andrew]

I guess the writing was on the wall with the rough start and the players-only meeting. In that respect, it's not completely shocking - when a team performs below expectations, the blade usually does fall on the coach - but like AG said, I figured he'd be cut a bit more slack.

I'd rather see Thibs get the job than JVG, partly because Thibs deserves another head coaching gig, but also for the selfish reason of not wanting to lose JVG from NBA on ESPN broadcasts.

[mp3]

Ditto.

JYG makes the broadcasting fun to listen too plus... Houston... being there... bought the Tshirt already and would Jeff want to coach the player that got his brother fired??

[Andrew]

That too. From memory, he had a few things to say about it.

[JEDL]

I don't think the Rockets will improve unless they make some changes on the roster. I don't think McHale was the real reason why the Rox are sucking right now.

[Andrew]

I think it's fair to say the problem went beyond him, but as they say, you can't fire all the players, but you can fire the coach.

[NovU]

This firing is kinda sudden. I don't remember him being scrutinized like George Karl. I guess the management pulled the plug because of 4-7 start and his losing grip on his players.

That said, much of it is due to one of their franchise players named Dwight Howard(mostly his health). How many coaches is he going to beat up.

[[Q]]

That's what he deserves. That racist never gave Jeremy Lin a chance. He's a hater like Harden, Carmelo and so many others.

[mp3]

That's Linsanity Eric lol

[NovU]

He's a hater like Harden, Carmelo and so many others.

Out of them all, I thought the Lakers treated him the worst. That's including Kobe, Byron, and the management. At least in HOU and NYK, there was effort to utilize him a bit but, good grief, Ronnie Price over Lin?

[[Q]]

He was supposed to be the big free agent signing with asik (I think they signed before the harden trade) so he was supposed to have a more prominent role on the team

In LA he was nothing more than a huge expiring contract

[Andrew]

He was coming off a serious knee injury when he signed with the Rockets. That probably didn't help matters.

[NovU]

Not to defend McHale but Harden was obvious choice to develop first in Houston. Seems Beverley complemented Harden's game better than Lin did. Similarly another on-ball point guard Lawson is struggling to co-exist.

It depends on perspective I guess but I felt Kobe was a dick to Lin as much as anyone else he's played with. Remember Lin saying in displeasure about needs of team ball. Then we also had Get the Fuck outta the Way incident with Xavier high fiving Kobe. Lin was way too under appreciated in LA not only by the Lakers but especially by their spoiled fans(not saying ur one of them Q but living in cali u knew about general public sentiment on Lin then. Even my friends from cali who are casual fans would tell me that Lin sucks, I guess it is true that he sucked as a Laker but it was by design as we both know).

[air gordon]

he was doomed once he got the poison pill contract. Houston management made a shrewd move then and are doing it now. honestly think beverly is the better fit...

they came close last year!

[Stress Fracture]

He was supposed to be the big free agent signing

He was supposed to be, until the Harden trade happened.

Lin had his nights, but he was inconsistent. He'll explode for 20 one night, then disappear the next.

He also liked shooting the long 2, a shot they don't want.

[NovU]

So the Rockets continue to lose after sending McHale home. What is exactly their problem? And that Lawson?

I mean this team made to the Conference Finals in tough west just last season.

[Andrew]

I haven't watched a lot of them yet this season, but at a glance, their top options are shooting poorly, and they're giving up the third most points per game this season. It's kind of surprising that they're 14th in scoring and aren't off to a worse start.

[[Q]]

I mean this team made to the Conference Finals in tough west just last season.

Technically they did, but the clippers had them beat and blew the series

Iirc harden is shooting a ridiculously low percentage this season

[air gordon]

and you're technically pulling the splinters in lin's ass from all that bench riding...with your teeth

we should just asterisk every accomplishment that did not come against jeremy fucking lin and his wonderful hair

only 14 games in. they can still get it together