I was very impressed with his coaching during the playoffs actually. During the season I was questioning him the first half, but the second half saw some improvement. Come playoffs it's like he just improved significantly, and i was really impressed when he kept Asik in when they were doing hack-asik. Then his rotations during playoffs were impressive. He seriously looked like a different and WAY better coach in playoffs, then regular season.
A friend of mine played college ball and was at UCLA when Jabbar plyed there. He tutored members of the b-team and thus watched all their workouts although Wooden held closed practices. He watched Wooden closely. He just stated to me the other day that he didn't think McHale was a very good coach. Then he stated that last year was his first winning season. Perhaps it was his first winning season because he had Harden, the 2nd top shooting guard in the NBA and a superstar next to Kobe. Just a thought. Most Bballs that I know don't think Mc Hale is a top notch coach.
I'll give McHale this season to prove his worth as a coach. At the minimum Rockets should play in the second round or bust.
Well McHale now has 2 winning seasons in a row as a head coach. In Minny he was could more appropriately be called an interim head coach. McHale never coached a full season at Minny. And we can all be joyous that D'Antonio, even with all the support he received from ClutchFans, was not hired as the Rocket's head coach instead of McHale. And as a fun fact it was the great basketball mind of the illustrious David Kahn that decided not to bring McHale back as the head coach in Minny. So can McHale be a championship quality head coach for the Rockets. Certainly. Will he be? Right now who knows. But he does have buy in from Howard, the team, the owner and Morey. He is in a strong position at the moment.
Even if Mchale leads this current lineup to bring home the ring this year, I am sure that somebody will still argue that he won it with very good players and cannot take the credit. Just like some people won't give it to Sphoelstra.
I think he was when coaching for the the Timberwolves, but Iv'e since grown fond of the man. He's starting to remind me of Gary Qubiack, or Wade. Put your best players in the right position to make it work. Upmost respect for Gary and Kevin. Go Texas!! I can live with the Astros right about now.
There are signs and proofs that Sloan, Carlisle, Mark Jackson, McMillan, Vogel, Rivers are good to very good coach. There are sure proofs that Woodson can only win in regular season and can only play iso-Joe, iso-Melo, iso-JR. There is no sign yet that McHale is a good coach. That he couldn't stop Harden-iso in the past PO is a sign he might not be a championship caliber coach.
No, imo. Three main reasons why: 1. Limited playbook. There are a myriad of reasons why he should get a pass on this for last season but... 2. Inability to read the rhythm of the floor game well. How often did I see Morris out there for too long or Delfino or whomever. 3. Over-reliance on isos. This may be a combination of the above two factors or the players taking it upon themselves but I've seen too many Harden-isos, Parsons-isos, and Lin-isos for my liking. I understand the just give it to Harden approach at the end of the game, but for the last 6 mins or more when we thrive on run n gun offense? Just my personal opinion, but we'll see. I hope he proves to be a championship level coach cuz I can't wait to see confettis poppin at Toyota Center.
As mediocre as D'Antoni is, McHale is still worse. McHale is a great player but he has no value as a coach.
Huh? Spoelstra is one of the best coaches in the league. He's a workaholic, a student of the game, solid x's and o's guy and has been able to manage the egos of 3 superstars. How is he not a great coach?
McHale's value is as a leader. He is great at that. The X's and O's can be formulated by the assistant coaches, whom I am certain that we will get the best of. Especially since our team is primed to win-now. McHale is smart enough to let people around him help him on things that they are better at. No one will argue that Kevin is a top 5 coach in the league. However, that doesn't mean that he can't win as a coach. He just needs the right assistant coaches around him. Morey will make sure that he gets what he needs.
Personally, i don't think McHale is a championship coach, but with Sampson and Hakeem next to him, he will have a championship staff.
Which is precisely why Wade wanted Spoelstra fired and threatened to leave Miami in free agency...until Lebron and Bosh showed up. Spoelstra is a joke, a Pat Riley yes man at worst. A tolerable sufferance at his best. Keep in mind, if Spurs don't choke game 6 away in epic fashion, Spoelstra is 1-2 in finals appearances despite having by far the most stacked team in the NBA.
