Does anyone have any insight on what Houston is doing? Were there any major long-term issues with McHale that led to his firing, or did he just completely lose control of his team? I know Houston has majorly underachieved to start the year, but I hope it wasn’t just a 4-7 panic button move. It seems like it though because they just signed him to an extension this summer. And now they have to deal with an interim coach until they find a guy willing to jump in to coach a team mid-season.
Essentially, McHale got Mike Brown’d.
he's not the best coach, but injuries have totally raped them thus far. like, they've been missing half their rotation for most of the season. so, it's hard to win when that happens, and now they're stuck at the bottom on the league both offensively and defensively. that being said, the head coach hasn't exactly been a strength for houston in the past. he was good enough to get an extension but still struggled in multiple areas that could certainly hinder the team once it's in crunch time come may/june.
above all else, he clearly pretty much lost the team. does the team deserve some blame? yes. but once you lose em, it's hard to truly right the ship, especially because they still aren't going to be totally healthy for a little while. so basically it was poor coaching + ravaged by injuries + losing the team + only having 1-2 good games thus far that really did him in. was it early? maybe, but it was going to be a hugely difficult hole for him to climb out of during the season.
what is abundantly clear, though, is the fact that houston DESPERATELY needs bev back. like now. lawson was a terrible choice to start, but terry doesn't really do much to solve it either.
The Rockets thinking Ty Lawson could really help was a terrible move. If you have both Ty Lawson and James Harden in the game, then Dwight absolutely needs to be playing. The issue is that handicaps your rotations.
eh, i don't think that's necessarily true. it was a terrible move to think he could start and play any worthwhile minutes next to harden. and at least from the outside, it sure did not seem like he was brought in under the impression that he'd be a sixth man playing closer to 15-20mpg instead of 35mpg. that is where they screwed up.
as a replacement to help kick start some offense when harden gets much-needed rest? he would've worked fairly well. their only other options were terry and thornton....and it should go without saying neither of which is particularly appealing.
what killed the rockets was llull deciding to stay overseas. he would've been a perfect fit there with his versatility. it would've been a significant step to round out & strengthen the backcourt. instead, he stayed and the rockets were backed into a corner forcing them to turn to lawson. bev, harden, and llull getting most of the minutes with terry/thornton getting spot minutes and garbage time would've been great on both ends of the court.
