Just six months after making it to the Western Conference Finals, and 11 months after inking a new three-year extension; the Houston Rockets fired coach Kevin McHale on Tuesday.
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“We were starting to address some of the issues that were the reason I was let go”, McHale told the Houston Chronicle after his firing.
“Whatever for the team to win, I’m ready to do”, Lawson said, adding that he was “good” with the change and it might help him play his game, via ClutchFans. “But we’ve got to still fight for him and try to win this championship”.
The Rockets finally got over the hump last season, getting the second seed in the West by posting their best record since 1997 and reaching the conference finals for the first time since that Charles Barkley-led team went 57-25.
“At times, I wouldn’t say full effort all the time, no”, he said. Scott Brooks, who coached Rockets to the title in 1995, is a leading candidate.
McHale, a Hall of Fame player, was hired by the Rockets before the 2011-12 season.
“Whatever happened this morning, my mindset coming in today was just to be great at what I do, and that’s being a leader and bringing great support on the team”. Some players fought for McHale (there’s a rumor running around about Howard being his strongest defender) but it didn’t matter. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle – who was McHale’s teammate in Boston for three seasons – called the move “preposterous” and “very disappointing” earlier Wednesday, and he didn’t back down from that stance ahead of the game. “He’ll have some opportunities in TV, and maybe when the dust settles I can get him out to teach the slippery eel to Kelly [Olynyk] and Sully [Jared Sullinger] and Amir [Johnson]”. In that same Yahoo! report, Adrian Wojnarowski dropped in the little nugget that current Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford could be a target for the Rockets after this season is over. People love him everywhere they’ve been.
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“He’s an unbelievable guy and one of my favorite coaches I’ve ever played for, and definitely one that’s positive”, Parsons said. Does this mean that the other players are blaming James Harden? Harden has maintained his scoring average (27.3 PPG) from a year ago when he finished second in MVP voting (27.4 PPG), but has required 2.2 more field goals a game to do it, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
