Houston Rockets News: Kevin McHale Out as Coach After Team's Dismal Start
Kevin McHale and the Houston Rockets had a dream run last season after reaching as far as the Western Conference Finals of the NBA, something the franchise hasn't done in 18 long years. Fast-forward to this season and barely 10 games in progress, the team's front office decided to look into the other direction and announced that the head coach has been fired.
The reason — poor start for a team that was expected to compete in the highest level and with the elite teams in the league. Currently at 4-7, it certainly looks like the Rockets pushed the panic button a little too soon.
But by looking at the trend in the past couple of games, though, one could say that change was indeed coming. They're staring at a four-game losing streak and another loss would mean that the earlier held players-only meeting didn't work.
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With McHale's departure, team officials revealed that top assistant J.B. Bickerstaff will take over as coach in an interim capacity. In a statement, general manager Daryl Morey was straightforward in his reasoning. "The team was not responding to Kevin. There is no time in the West," he said. What he meant was that Houston is locked in the Western Conference, where competition is a lot fiercer compared to the East. Obtaining a record of .500 or a little over it after 82 regular season games isn't enough to put a team in a playoff spot. When one team loses five or more games in a row, it's hard to fight back.
Before the game against Portland, some players expressed a feeling of guilt upon hearing the news of their head coach's departure. Small forward Corey Brewer said that they (players) are responsible for it. "I didn't see it coming; I'm not going to lie."
Bickerstaff, for his part, is facing a very rough reality. "It's tough because the only reason I'm here is because of Kevin (McHale)," he said. He admits it is painful to see them part ways.
McHale's 56-26 record last season proved to be one of the most successful in the Rockets franchise history, and the future basketball Hall of Famer will definitely be bringing in a winning tradition to any team that will tap his services.
