All of you guys devaluing McHale are making yourselves look really bad. It's obvious that you have invested so much and are so emotionally connected to your opinions that no results or no amount of evidence will ever change your mind. Thats kind of childish really. Some of the absolute best attributes of any leader is the ability to identify and surround themselves with great people and know when and how to delegate. Pat Riley had Jeff Van Gundy in New York. Jeff Van Gundy had Tom Thibodeau. Phil Jackson had Tex Winter. Rick Adleman had Pete Carroll. Greg Popovic had Mike Budenholzer. To somehow criticize Kevin McHale because he has JB Bickerstaff is more than a little ridiculous. To those that thinks he is just a puppet to Daryl Morey are equally ridiculous since Morey has said he never forces his style of basketball or any of his analytics on a coach. For those that don't believe Daryl Morey, maybe you will take the word of Jeff Van Gundy who has said several times that Daryl never tried make him coach a certain way. He provided the analytics and let the coach use it as he wanted to use it. The results do not suggest... they dictate that Kevin McHale is deserving of Coach of the Year consideration regardless if someone else wins.
FIFA. But seriously, I was one of the strongest opponents to hiring Milkhair. I was so, so sad, and I've been sad to see some of his work, especially last year. But even I'll admit: he's done so much this year with so many obstacles, and so many lineups, and so little practice time along the way. I think we have to give him a TON of credit this year, along with the locker room chemistry, or at least the on-court chemistry.
Given him credit for improving defense and keeping the Rockets competitive with a lot of injuries. But let's be objective that he's not a COY front runner, those who coached the All-star game are the front runners. One important defect of this Rockets system is turnover. If McHale can limit the team turnover to even the mediocre level by reducing two turnovers per game, the Rockets would have improved the offense efficiency 6 spots to #7 in the NBA. looking for that to be tackled and I will call him a good coach.
SERIOUS QUESTION: Considering all the injuries . .. considering all our changes. . . . . What record would one expect if Kerr was coaching this team? Atl's coach? Brooks? Pick a 'GOOD' coach and tell me how much better our record would be with them? Would we still expect us to over take Golden State? Rocket River
Good question. I don't know the answer. What I do know is that a good coach do not allow his team to be at #28 in terms of turnover. And we've used a lot of those injury narratives when we justify Harden for MVP too. Who do you think have contributed more wins despite the injuries etc, Harden or McHale?
McFail has one of the top 3 players in the league on his team. How much coaching does it take to run a high PnR above the 3 point line and let Harden do work. Also, let me know when we get out of the 1st round. And why does every 4th qtr play look the same when we need a bucket. We still can't beat Golden State, Spurs, Portland or the Clippers when they are at full strength. So no to your suggestion of him being a candidate.
For someone who is clueless, has bad rotations, and no plays; he sure wins a lot of games even without superstars. Forest for the trees.
Aren't the rockets pretty good coming out of time-outs. McHale is pretty good at telling his guys to play harder.
So you are saying that the coach is NOT telling them to NOT commit turnovers? Just like the coach is NOT telling them to NOT make shots? Is the coach the one charging into people or turning the ball over? If players are not positioned well, do you think Harden will be able to drive to the lane as good as he has? Do you think that he will be able to the number one contributor to 3 pointers made (assist and made) if nobody told his teammates where to be at a given particular play? Do you think it is easy for any coach to lead a team that has a different starting lineup almost every week? The most common thing I hear about the Mchale critics is the negative. Yes, 28 turnovers!! Forget about the offensive and defensive ranking and every positive aspect this team has done as it doe not fit the narrative.
Can't have it both ways. Any other coach in the league with this exact situation(injuries,roster,etc) would be getting massive burn on here for the job he has done. The only way he doesn't deserve consideration is if you believe coaching does not matter.
I didn't say that. As a matter of fact, I don't care if the coach either tells them, begs them, or just smacks their heads to deliver the message that he hates turnover and that they have to take better care of the ball. What matters here is that Rockets are among the worst in turnover per game. That's on the coach. Defense is on coach too, and we credit him for the improvement this year.
BAH! That's like saying a Beauty Queen wouldn't have had cosmetic surgery Do you care if Scarlett Johanssen had surgery or not Everyone not going to be perfect in every phase of the game and sometimes the results are all that matter So we don't play a PRETTY form of basketball It ain't pretty but it is effective Wins and Losses Rocket River
To the naysayers, yes. The more import part is the W's. 50 with 9 games left in a very tough Western conference while having an inconsistent starting lineup all year long.
The perfect coach is the coach that's best suited for the talent on the roster. Would Pops be as good if he never had Duncan/Parker/Manu? Would Phil had been as successful without Jordan/Pippen or Kobe/Shaq/Gasol? To say its all Harden, means that we could put anyone from this board as coach and get the same results. You have to be able to lead people, gain their trust, and get them to buy-in to your vision. X's and O's capability also has to do with the depth of your roster. Morey realized this after the Portland series and as long as everyone sans Beverley is ready for the playoffs, there aren't many wrinkles opposing coaches can throw at the Rockets that can't be countered.
