I like McHale and his accountability, I don't like McHale in his game management and refusal to use some of Adelman's plays that worked. His offense is rudimentary high PnR - if he would open up and incorporate some of the back door cuts and such from Adelman I would be fine with him - well that and doing a better job of managing his substitutions..... DD
Since when did players determine who plays? Players should play and coaches should coach. Anybody who has ever played a sport knows coaches don't "like" anyone. It is childish to suggest otherwise. Coaches reward performance. Those who perform, play. As Al Pacino would say: "It's not personal, Sonny. It's business." I will admit some coaches assess talent better than others, are better at "Xs and Os" than others, and are better field generals than others. Those are legitimate concerns. But when players put themselves before the team without the ability to carry that team, then they need to go.
Weren't there threads about this very topic and Adelman's lineup in the GARM criticizing Adelman for this when he coached here?
I agree with the accountability portion, and admittedly, I wasn't able to watch many games not living in Houston. From what I remember, he said he was going to keep some elements that worked from Adelman's tenure, did that not happen? I think I remember viewing a video breakdown of McHale's favorite plays on here, I'll have to go back and check on that. I do agree that it was maddening to have him run out the Scola/Patterson front court game after game in critical situations. Wonder what kind of improvements he'll make in Year 2.
How do you know for sure? Were you watching them in practice? A 100% healthy Jermaine Oneal rode the bench in Portland while Gary Trent, Chris Dudley, Kelvin Cato, and Brian Grant got most of the minutes. Are Brian Grant, and Chris Dudley better players because they got more minutes than a young Jermaine Oneal? Hell no. Alot of young players in the NBA unfairly get bench splinters without getting the chance to fully show what they're capable of doing.
I do not think that your point is applicable in the Parsons/Morris debate. Most of us who watched the games agree that Parsons was a revelation on the court while Morris acted like a lost little puppy dog out there.
I would guess Thorpe's analysis is largely correct. I thought the draft was a downer with the exception of White who is an intriguing prospect. I don't think Parsons is "that bad" offensively, but Morris looked lost to me last season. Patterson showed much promise his rookie season, but really stunk last season. Injury residuals? Maybe. I don't understand Morey's addiction to undersized forwards. Seems bizarre. And he may be a boy-genius, but I don't think he is a "basketball" guy. I know that sounds strange, but I think he is about "minimizing losses" and maximizing profits; he is a business guy. Despite what is said in public, Les wants more for "less" and expects Morey to get deals. He is still smarting from CD's "giveaway" contracts.
McHale is Jerry Sloan without the actual coaching ability. You can't be an a-hole of a coach in this day and age unless you having wining credentials to back it up. McHale's rings as a Celtic 25 years ago mean dick.
missin the point about their initial logic of hiring mchale.. he was supposed this fun loving guy that all the players got along with and loved to play for -''a leader of men''- the main kicker being him playing the young players alot of minutes, remember? this was the ''reason'' they canned Rick Adelman now all of a sudden we're seeing the complete opposite, looks like we've been bamboozled by either mcfale, morey, or both.. maybe this is a classic case of an employee lying on his resume to get a job, and then once hired, is completely not the employee you thought you employed mchale was a terrible coach to begin with, imploding and not knowing how to make a simple adjustment during games, which in large part doomed our playoff run mcfale needs to go
the only young guys he didn't play were Thabeet, DWill, and Morris, right? 10-man rotation: Parson (rookie) Scola (vet) Camby (vet) Martin (vet - injured) Lowry (young vet - first time starter - injured) Budinger (3rd year) Patterson (2nd year) Dalembert (vet) Lee (young vet - eventually started) Dragic (young vet - eventually started) DNP-CD Thabeet TWill Morris I don't fault him for not playing Thabeet or TWill. Morris obviously got beaten out by Parsons who is also a rookie.
McHale is clueless. It was the wrong hire from Day 1. No plan B besides PnR on offense, repeatedly playing Scola and Ppat in the 4th quarter when we inevitably got out-rebounded despite having Camby and Dally at his disposal. Poor in game substitutions, calling time-outs much later than they should resulting in the other team goes on a HUGE run.... I seriously doubt if the McFail can take the Rox to Championship contenders even if Morey hands him a capable roster on a silver plate. I just hope I am proved wrong as Morey and McFail seem to adore each other.
There seems to be a lot of McHale bashing, and I don't think its warranted. Its not like he has any All-Stars or individual players that are capable of taking the team into the playoffs. If Kyle Lowry does not want to play with McHale, who cares. What has Kyle Lowry done? As a starter, he has never taken a team to the playoffs. If the rumors are true, and he hates McHale, I think Lowry is only hurting himself. McHale has been there and done that. Until he is a proven winner, Lowry needs to soak up the information not resist it. According to Thorpe, Kevin McHale doesn't think Kevin Martin is good enough to help them win. If that's true, I would happen to agree with McHale. Martin has been in the league for 8 years and has not lead his team to the playoffs as a starter. Although Kevin's game is very efficient for himself, his game totally stagnates the the teams offense as a whole. As fans sometimes we rate players higher than they really are. The reality is that McHale does not have much to work with, and it will be a couple of years until he has good talent.
No preseason. Saw the players only for a few weeks before the season started. No time to prepare the offense. McHale has a great coaching staff - the best that money can buy, like every other NBA team. You can bet that Morey sat them down after the season behind closed doors and had a long talk. My guess is that the Rockets are trying to change the culture of the team. Defense. The best player plays. If someone goes on a tear they are playing big minutes until they cool down. Example Parsons. Soft whiny players are probably out the door. Example Dally. There naturally will be some discontented players and fans.
Exactly, McHale is definitely a players coach, "only play the players I like coach". He's only keeping the seat warm for Chris Finch anyway. I give him a year at the helm, maybe 1 1/2. He stinks.
I feel it is very warranted criticism. And I don't think McHale is the coach of the future, he is simply keeping the seat warm teaching the guy that will eventually supplant him. I never really liked the hire from the beginning but I understood, it's the first but by far won't be the last. Lowry hasn't done anything as a starter, yes, but how long has he been starting. And how could you not like Lowry the player? He plays hard, plays D, and wins games for you. You stated Kyle hasn't accomplished anything, neither has McHale, as a coach or a GM, so... what's your point?
Am I the only person who actually WISH McHale really is as bad as some of you are making him out to be? Because then we'd be looking at a potential top-3 pick this year instead of pick 14 again. Every team where half its players are pissed off at the coach has been beyond terrible(teams that have superstars notwithstanding). Turning off all his players last year would've been awesome, because it would have been just as all the pro-tankers including myself wanted. Yet we weren't able to tank. In fact, we were just as good as last year. Either all these stuff about McHale are grossly exaggerated, or he is the greatest Xs and Os coach in the history of basketball.
He stands for everything that the Rockets want to be. Tough. Accountable. Team first. Defense. 110% effort. Best person plays. Win. I don't see the problem.
