Woj: McHale "clearly separated himself" according to "multiple league sources"

Finch is a far better coach than Adelman is. So yeah, he's definitely "ready" to coach at the "NBA level". Especially considering that the "NBA level" entails a zero defense regular season.

 

The post-up big-man is an exinct species in todays NBA. Some of that also has to do with the illegal defense rules which makes it easier to deny the post.

Hell, Yao (when healthy) had a game pretty similiar to McHale.... not particularly fast, didn't jump high, but was able to get his hooks and turnarounds up because of his height.

 

And this "brilliant" comment is based on what? You're personal opinion? Keep working at being as obnoxious as possible with your "opinions," and see just how much attention people pay to them.

 

I think alot of people are condemming McHale for what he did as a GM, which is a bit unfair to him.

And as far as Adelman goes, he is a far better "execution of offense" coach than McHale, but I think KM will be far better in player development, especially with big men, which is more of what our team needs ATM.

I can understand this reasoning. Hill is still young and could flourish with McHale, as could Patterson. Thabeet is likely a lost cause, but I think this the organization has a clear plan, and I trust Morey, so I can stand behind it.

Moving forward, people need to try hard to not judge the coach on the W/L, but instead by if our bigs are playing better fundamentally.

 

I'm not putting anything against what Clutch wrote. Reread his article, if you need to. The theme is that the Rockets aren't contenders, Adelman was brought in to coach a contending team, and there is a disconnect between Adelman and the front office on the future direction the team should take. All of that matches what I said pretty well. You apparently want to fixate on the few sentences about Alexander being unhappy with Adelman earlier in theseason, but even that Clutch followed with: "Only Alexander, God and Richard Justice know if this was primarily a personal decision for the Rockets owner, but there were other signs of a disconnect between the coach and the front office."

http://rockets.clutchfans.net/1552/saying-goodbye-to-adelman-feels-like-the-right-move/

[rquoter]
Rockets are not contenders

As is, the Rockets are not destined for trophy-hoisting and brass knows it.

“We’re not a championship caliber roster right now,” said Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. “We feel like we need change and we need to continue to change until we get to where we want to be. The job I’m given by Les Alexander is not can we be a team that works its way into the playoffs. The job I’m given, and we’re short of, is can we compete with the top teams.”

Look no further than what happened in February. In the middle of a tightly contested playoff race, the Rockets traded a valuable, win-now contributor in Shane Battier to Memphis, their chief competitor for the final playoff spot, at a time when the Grizzlies were weakened by the injury to Rudy Gay. The Rockets? They got a future draft pick and an 89-inch stick in Hasheem Thabeet. The Grizzlies ended up beating out the Rockets for the final playoff spot and Battier hit a big shot to beat the Spurs in game one of their series.

If you’re upset Adelman isn’t coming back, you should be livid about that. After all, if “winning now” had been Houston’s primary concern, this would have classified as cardinal sin, but instead it serves to illustrate how a ready-to-win coach and a looking-to-build-a-contender front office don’t always have interests that align.

Front Office Disconnect

A month or two into the season I spoke with one reporter who told me that Alexander had to be talked out of firing Adelman. Much has been made the past few months about the Rockets owner being ready to part ways with his coach. Only Alexander, God and Richard Justice know if this was primarily a personal decision for the Rockets owner, but there were other signs of a disconnect between the coach and the front office.

Adelman had no room for Terrence Williams. He wasn’t happy about the Thabeet trade. He wasn’t a fan of a statistics-based approach. He wasn’t one for radio shows or marketing appearances. In a nutshell, the Rockets were paying a premium for a coach who wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye with the Rockets’ plan for the future.

I attended the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston in March. Boston Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren talked about how frustrating it is to acquire a player only to have your coach sit him on the bench the entire time. I immediately thought of the T-Will situation in Houston, and glanced over in Morey’s direction in the front row. The Rockets didn’t make the playoffs and logged no real development time for a player that cost them a first rounder. That’s a disconnect.

Change Is Coming

I’m excited that the Rockets recognize that they need change. Back-to-back seasons of 40-ish wins was a coaching accomplishment by Adelman, but it wasn’t in the Rockets best long-term interest. Falling short with the “9th seed” and being handed the 14th pick of the draft is no way to make progress. This core is not good enough and moving forward the Rockets should be focused on developing, building, trading.

Morey said something today in the press conference that I thought was straight wisdom.

“The mistakes that are done across the league are [by] teams that stabilize on a foundation that wins you games and maybe preserves jobs but they’re not making the tough choices, with either players or in other areas, that get you the improvement you need and the change you need to get to where you want to be,” he said.

This was a tough choice made — quite possibly a step back to make longer strides down the line — and a choice that puts the target square on Morey’s back. But the Rockets aren’t making the safe, ticket-selling, marketing-friendly move here. They’re looking to build a title contender. Any fan should feel disappointed when less of an emphasis is placed on “win now,” but you have to respect an organization that thinks “win big.”
[/rquoter]

 

Which makes KM less of an NBA coach, and more of a basketball camp instructor.

 

I loved Reid. He's our Battier in the 80s, a Battier who could actually dribble, that is.

 

So you think Less had to be talked out of firing Rick "a month or two into the season" because he didn't think Rick wanted to rebuild? Keep in mind Yao Ming may have still been playing during this time. I think that's VERY naive. Subscribing to your opinion would mean that Less had already given up on the season "a month or two" into it, and was pissed off that Rick didn't also want to give up and start playing Thabeet and T-Will, who weren't on the team yet.

 

No, I don't think that. Les was no doubt unhappy with our record a month or two into the season, understandably so because the team was playing lousy early in the year. Maybe he had some harsh words expressing his frustration with the slow start. Still, I very much doubt he seriously wanted Adelman fired then and there. Les may be emotional, and he may be demanding, but he's not stupid. Firing a coach like Adelman midseason would have been stupid.

 

The NBA regular season has no defense - it is almost illegal to play defense in the NBA regular season. If you do not know this, then you are a real novice NBA fan.

 

You really have no idea just how hilarious you are, do you. I admit to becoming "serious" about becoming a fan of the Rockets (and more than a casual NBA fan) after they drafted Elvin Hayes of the University of Houston. I also realize that doesn't go very far back. Please forgive me.

 

If Finch is better than Adelman then we shouldn't even be slowly bringing him in. Go ahead and hire him as coach since he is already better than a HOF coach smh

 

Chris Finch is a modern-day Red Auerbach, ffs....

 

There was no way Yao would have been playing 1 month or two into the season. His ankle was busted. There is no "maybe" about that.

 

AlexKennedyNBA
It sounds like Kevin McHale will be the Houston Rockets' next coach. I'd be surprised if they went in a different direction at this point.

 

not entirely true. rocjkets made the play-offs throughout the van gundy years because of great defense. they prolly also fizzled out in the first round from playing great defense throughout the regular season.

 

If it is McHale. that can only mean the only candidates turned us down.

 

Really sorry, DoD. I did a cursory check, but clearly didn't look at page 3. My bad.

 

I understand that finch has had a lot of success out of the NBA...but that does not make him a better coach than Adelman.

A lot of great college coaches fail at the "NBA Level" where personalities are much larger and XandOs matter little when you are trying to stop a Lebron James or Dwight Howard.

 

Oh, no big deal. I was posting that in case you guys missed the vids from the other 5 games.