As much as this loss hurts, we weren't going to win it all anyways. This just speeds up the process, make few moves, get a new coach n we're good to go.
I like our chances with Howard and Harden. As far as injuries are concerned I just don’t see the Yao and Tmac injuries with Howard and Harden they are built different. (again injuries are out of our control) We are a young team with NO experience from top (management) to bottom (coaching, players to waterboys). The Blazers have a bright future as well with the exception that nobody is rushing to play in Portland (yet). As far as age Howard and Harden are equally close in age to LA & Lillard and alot more mature than our boys! We lost this series due to coaching, Harden not showing up and bad officiating. Hopefully next year with better coaching, and that 3rd scorer to rely on when Howard is in foul trouble and Harden can't find the basket not to mention when they are more focused on the court than on social media maybe then this team will contend for a championship! In the mean time It is what it is! This season was all on wishful thinking, with the hope they made it all the way on their first year of playing together. It takes more than a season for a team to play as a one unit. Experience and defense goes a long way in the playoffs.
What good is talents when you have a shytty coach that doesn't know strategy? Or defensive strategy? Here's what i think the Rockets should do: Either FIRE McHale and get Jeff Van Gundy OR if they insist that McHale is going to stay, then go all over the country and look for a defensive coach w/ hall of fame resume.
Uh, NO. You generally become a better coach by being an Assistant Coach for a really good coach for a LONG time. Budenholzer has made Atlanta a far better team. He spent 15 years working for Popovich. Joerger is a step away from upsetting OKC. He's been coaching for 17 years, the last 6 years in the NBA first under Iavaroni and then Lionel Hollins. Stotts has been coaching for 23 years. First under George Karl, then Rick Carlisle with stints as a NBA head coach in between. If you looked at McHale's resume of experience, he shouldn't be coaching ANY team other than as an assistant. Sure, there are rare situations where a player can make a leap from player to Coach, however they are typically players that have excellent reputations for being player coaches on the floor. Guys like Jason Kidd, Doc Rivers and Mark Jackson were all players with strong reputations as floor leaders. Bird was the team leader on the Bird/McHale/Parish teams. McHale was just the "tough" guy. Etch-a-sketch should have told you all you need to know...
