McHale can't make a player sink a bucket. However... ... putting Harden back in when he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and the Bench is on a 8-0 run in the 4th quarter is on McHale. Harden was having an awful game. Toss in his sub-par defense and the bench going on a run and McHale should have left the subs in.
When the losses are consistently attributed to the same things. Yes. That is on the coach. And we are winning games because of our talent - not because of what our coach is doing. The only W I will say McHale had a hand in was Memphis.
It was funny last year. Now it's just sad. Remember McHale's comments in his first year about not having a training camp to put in plays? Then last year not having James Harden until two days before the season started to instill plays? We still haven't seen many plays other than dribble past half court and hand off to SG, or iso-Harden and plain PnRs/post-ups.
I hate to break it to you guys but Mchale is not going anywhere. He is one of the reasons Howard is here. Not to mention, because of Howard being here, if he is fired, the whole world will automatically start the "Howard got another coach fired" bull, and that will do nothing to help the team. Like it or not, he isn't going anywhere.
Are you surprised? What is McHale's "strategy"? Play Harden and Parsons 39 mpg, no matter what. Strategy over. When Harden not available? Grudgingly play other players and win games.
any coach would do the same thing and put their #1 options inthe games to close it out. Last two games Harden was big in the 4th so he went with the player he knew could heat it up in a instant, even if he was having a off night for 3 quarters. McHale is not the only coach that would do that.
McHale is sounding clueless in his press conference after the game. The team's injuries are hurting the team as well but all McHale keeps saying is "we have no flow, we have no flow" that's because a lot of the time when the going gets tough and the outside shots aren't falling, Rox go into panic mode and Harden is allowed to ball stop and iso. At least with the bench they were moving the ball better but he brought Harden back in to stop the flow again.
Pops wouldn't do that. Pops often sits the starters and lets the bench close games. Even important games for seeding and play off games. Pops tries to go with what's working. If your bench is outplaying your starters, you stick with the bench. He accepts the reality that some nights you have a bad match up, or your "stars" just don't have it. However, unlike most coaches Pops doesn't try to fight it. He just goes with what's working.
James played awful from the start and still got his 40+ minutes. I don't understand WHY Coach McHale would play him so much when he was being a liability out there. Whether it was him hurting or coasting, sit him. How's he gonna learn leadership when you leave him out there to do whatever he wants? Playing no defense and waving off plays...I could've sworn I saw him wave off a pick and roll with Dwight. Play Brewer for all I care, it's about sending a message. Brewer would've at least shown some pride defensively.
No need to FIRE him. But I think at this point McHale is better as an assistant than as the head coach.
Ikr? Because up to this point, everything had been so steadily progressive...... It's not as if there has been some kind of an ostensible pattern that might've contributed to something like this throughout the season... Damn knee-jerkers making so much of one bad showing.......
Coaching is inconsequential... the players will figure it all out on their own... maturity is a mere passing of time.... the numbers will it so!
Whatever do you mean? Cleary, I'm in agreement with you. That was the finished product out there during that last two games. It's all over. Beating San Antonio & Portland were just flukes. The Suns & Jazz just perfected the blueprint. Other teams will take notice an continue to implement this Rocket kryptonite.
This thread was started last year when we still had Dragic. The haters have been here for awhile now...