Woj - Rockets fire Kevin McHale

[The Rebel]

Now maybe they will get their season back on track a little, I do not care if they are only 8th seeds, but they need to make the playoffs so that the Nuggets get their pick for the drunk.

[Left*My*Heart]

Morey should have fired himself as well. He has got to feel the heat.

[trickshot]

I'm surprised how many think this is an overreaction. Harden doesn't go blameless but anyone who thinks the Mchale firing wasnt due likely doesn't watch Rockets games. It was Harden's play last season (especially the 4th quarter heroics) that got them the second best record last season, not Mchale's coaching.

If you think this is just about Harden's poor D, you are failing to see the bigger picture that Houston's severe lack of defensive or even offensive organisation was eventually going to get exposed. Harden is a great talent but he's still at least a notch below the kobe/lebron superstar talent category. You still need to have a system to fall back on when he has his inevitable slumps or is locked down. The guy on page one nailed it when he said their gameplan is basically a giant freestyle

[woosah]

The paper champs think erasing Mchale's name from the roster will fix things eh?
riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

This has been coming so no one should be surprised. We will see who the real problem is eventually as the FO keeps peeling back the layers and letting go of people like Morey said he would.

[Scalabrine]

damn, 1 year after getting them to the WCF?? Doesn't seem like it's his fault. Harden's FG% has nothing to do with the coach, and neither does Ty Lawson or Howard stinking up the court.

10 games after!

Yeah, they are taking a ton of 3's and just not making them. Howard and Jones have been in and out of the lineup and Donatas hasn't even played yet. You can't really start slow in the West, especially if you want homecourt, but this just seems so odd.

There must have been philosophical differences within him and management because the team has really overachieved pretty much every year he was coach and 11 games ago they were playing in the Western Conference Finals.

If they have something in place for Thibs or JVG then it's a little more understandable but I really doubt they would want to takeover mid-season, and I doubt even more that JVG would want to coach Dwight Howard after the relationship him and his brother had. I could be wrong on that though.

[nomansland]

Thibs is always in the picture. He spent 5 years here working as assistant to JVG. Maybe both of them are being approached to team up. You know JVG wanted that Pelicans job this summer. He is ready.

They couldn't make any noise before the McHale firing otherwise people would think they are back stabbing. Bad for their names.

The only concern is Thibs will want full control. That won't fly with Morey.

Practically the whole world was saying what a great trade it was to get Lawson. Can't blame McHale for that in hindsight.

BTW the 2 Denver/Houston games I saw, Lawson actually did a decent job on D. Especially in the 2nd game, he pestered Mudiay into having a bad game. Lawson tries on D usually, it's just that he's on the small side.

Crazy how he's getting blamed for the lack of D in Houston all the sudden when if you watch some of the clips, it's Harden who's the real culprit.

(can't believe I'm defending Lawson, blorf)

You said it yourself. Lawson is on the small side, and taller guards love to take advantage of him. Not for a lack of trying or effort, but he's a liability. Couple that with Harden and his defensive effort you have a major problem. Especially in Guard heavy league. He should come off the bench as a 6th man, and only pair with Harden when they go small and run. However, ownership may think otherwise. Yes, 90% of defense is effort. However if there's a size/speed mismatch, all the effort in the world can be beaten by an NBA player.

Harden has to do too much offensively in order to give the consistent effort needed defensively to win. It's the same thing with Melo, where they only have so much in the tank. So you either have to bring someone in that can shoulder the load, or bring in guys that will complement his deficiencies. Harden needs a PG that would fit in the triangle offense. Walk it up, plays D, and can hit the 3. He needs another guy on the wing that can do a little bit of everything (defend, 3 ball, post up/iso). Dwight isn't the guy anymore that's going to be able to shoulder an offense load/ or that you are comfortable running plays for down the stretch. You need another guy that can come in be the 1B option. It's imperative in this league, and in that conference to contend for a title. Until then, you're in no man's land.

Rats, I actually meant to reference a post by Nate505 in which he said, "It's easier to fire the coach than the players.

If McHale had anything to do with getting the drunkard cancer on their team, well, he dug his own grave."

Somehow I got that screwed up.


But regarding the idea that Harden has to play too much offensively to play D, come on. Tell that to any MVP caliber players of today or yesteryear.

[Cmon_Son-_-]

McHale was as bad as Scott Brooks about time they fired him. They need to hire a coach that is not solely a player coach and they'll take the next step.

[cold_cowboy]

Never understood why a team with championship aspirations kept sticking with such a mediocre coach.

Doubt a new coach makes them that much better midseason. The Rockets are what they are: a mentally soft paper tiger team.

what the hell are you talking about, midseason, most teams have 70 games left to play.

[cdubbz]

The paper champs think erasing Mchale's name from the roster will fix things eh?
riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

This has been coming so no one should be surprised. We will see who the real problem is eventually as the FO keeps peeling back the layers and letting go of people like Morey said he would.

LOL. I like the nickname "paper champs" for the Rockets. Lot of talk from them this off season and last season about shoulda, woulda, coulda.

They have a nice roster though and hopefully a good coach can make them better.

[Devassa]

McHale should've been fired after Lillard dropped that bomb on Houston in the playoffs 2 years ago

[ocelot17]

Personally, I think we're primed to get Scott Brooks. I'm OK with that. Harden loved Scott Brooks during his time in OKC.

Not to get ahead of myself, but who knows maybe KD will actually want to come play here with his former coach and pal next season.

Oh god, I hope not. Brooks is just as bad as Mchale. He's an ISO heavy type of coach.

[ken6199]

BIG WOJBOMB!

Will Thibs be tagged now?

Thibs is always in the picture. He spent 5 years here working as assistant to JVG. Maybe both of them are being approached to team up. You know JVG wanted that Pelicans job this summer. He is ready.

They couldn't make any noise before the McHale firing otherwise people would think they are back stabbing. Bad for their names.

The only concern is Thibs will want full control. That won't fly with Morey.

Practically the whole world was saying what a great trade it was to get Lawson. Can't blame McHale for that in hindsight.

BTW the 2 Denver/Houston games I saw, Lawson actually did a decent job on D. Especially in the 2nd game, he pestered Mudiay into having a bad game. Lawson tries on D usually, it's just that he's on the small side.

Crazy how he's getting blamed for the lack of D in Houston all the sudden when if you watch some of the clips, it's Harden who's the real culprit.

(can't believe I'm defending Lawson, blorf)

I totally agree with this perception. Lawson's problem is he is just a physically bad defender. 5'11 tall, short wingspan, and his chubby figure means he does not filter through screens as good as others. But he tries. There was a play in the Celtics game in the 3rd, we down by 20+, Harden let someone blow by him in a fast break, Lawson ran from behind and drew a charge. Harden should take most of the blame.

The problem is his offense. He defers too much, with or without Harden next to him. I don't care if Harden requires the ball from him or he wants to defer, I put it on coach for not being able to sort it out. Two elite ball handler / slasher / driver / kicker / shooter, with that piss poor offense, no excuse.

[guitarpatch]

Practically the whole world was saying what a great trade it was to get Lawson. Can't blame McHale for that in hindsight.

BTW the 2 Denver/Houston games I saw, Lawson actually did a decent job on D. Especially in the 2nd game, he pestered Mudiay into having a bad game. Lawson tries on D usually, it's just that he's on the small side.

Crazy how he's getting blamed for the lack of D in Houston all the sudden when if you watch some of the clips, it's Harden who's the real culprit.

(can't believe I'm defending Lawson, blorf)

You said it yourself. Lawson is on the small side, and taller guards love to take advantage of him. Not for a lack of trying or effort, but he's a liability. Couple that with Harden and his defensive effort you have a major problem. Especially in Guard heavy league. He should come off the bench as a 6th man, and only pair with Harden when they go small and run. However, ownership may think otherwise. Yes, 90% of defense is effort. However if there's a size/speed mismatch, all the effort in the world can be beaten by an NBA player.

Harden has to do too much offensively in order to give the consistent effort needed defensively to win. It's the same thing with Melo, where they only have so much in the tank. So you either have to bring someone in that can shoulder the load, or bring in guys that will complement his deficiencies. Harden needs a PG that would fit in the triangle offense. Walk it up, plays D, and can hit the 3. He needs another guy on the wing that can do a little bit of everything (defend, 3 ball, post up/iso). Dwight isn't the guy anymore that's going to be able to shoulder an offense load/ or that you are comfortable running plays for down the stretch. You need another guy that can come in be the 1B option. It's imperative in this league, and in that conference to contend for a title. Until then, you're in no man's land.

Rats, I actually meant to reference a post by Nate505 in which he said, "It's easier to fire the coach than the players.

If McHale had anything to do with getting the drunkard cancer on their team, well, he dug his own grave."

Somehow I got that screwed up.


But regarding the idea that Harden has to play too much offensively to play D, come on. Tell that to any MVP caliber players of today or yesteryear.

Outside of dominant big men, what MVP players were considered to be the main focal point of the offense and also defended their position well? (Jordan and Lebron not included, they are freaks of nature)

Curry? Durant? Nash?

It's hard to do maintain MVP level efficiency and guard the 1-3 positions well. Also, everyone on the list had other scorers to defer to in situations, and guys who could pick up the slack defensively. Not trying to make an excuse for Harden and his half hearted approach, but to expect him to be the main guy and defend consistently for 82 games + playoffs is asking a lot.

Guys like Harden and Melo need help offensively + defensive counterparts to help out. You see it every game, where they are saving themselves for the 4th quarter. When LeBron saves himself in the game, he has another option or 2 at times to take the load offensively (he will also defend his position during that time). That's what those guys need. Then you can sit back and call them out on their defensive deficiencies all you want. Until then, they are jump shooters saving their legs for the end of the game.

Case in point is Paul Pierce pre KG. That guy got called out for the same exact things we say about Harden & Melo. Give him KG and Ray and all of a sudden he's guarding Kobe in the finals.

[K_chile22]

McHale should've been fired after Lillard dropped that bomb on Houston in the playoffs 2 years ago

The level of confusion on the defensive coverage out of a timeout on a last second play was embarrassing


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[enderwilson]

Outside of dominant big men, what MVP players were considered to be the main focal point of the offense and also defended their position well? (Jordan and Lebron not included, they are freaks of nature)

Curry? Durant? Nash?

It's hard to do maintain MVP level efficiency and guard the 1-3 positions well. Also, everyone on the list had other scorers to defer to in situations, and guys who could pick up the slack defensively. Not trying to make an excuse for Harden and his half hearted approach, but to expect him to be the main guy and defend consistently for 82 games + playoffs is asking a lot.

Guys like Harden and Melo need help offensively + defensive counterparts to help out. You see it every game, where they are saving themselves for the 4th quarter. When LeBron saves himself in the game, he has another option or 2 at times to take the load offensively (he will also defend his position during that time). That's what those guys need. Then you can sit back and call them out on their defensive deficiencies all you want. Until then, they are jump shooters saving their legs for the end of the game.

Case in point is Paul Pierce pre KG. That guy got called out for the same exact things we say about Harden & Melo. Give him KG and Ray and all of a sudden he's guarding Kobe in the finals.

Magic and Iverson.

[gts1]

It was bound to happen. You have passive aggressive Dwight who has had plenty of problems with his coaches and Harden is dating a Kardashian... lol

That being said don't expect a big name coach. Morey will find somebody who loves stats just as much as he does. May already be with the team.


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[EmperorLocky]

Harden will have a stroke if they end up gettting Thibs as coach.

[guitarpatch]

Outside of dominant big men, what MVP players were considered to be the main focal point of the offense and also defended their position well? (Jordan and Lebron not included, they are freaks of nature)

Curry? Durant? Nash?

It's hard to do maintain MVP level efficiency and guard the 1-3 positions well. Also, everyone on the list had other scorers to defer to in situations, and guys who could pick up the slack defensively. Not trying to make an excuse for Harden and his half hearted approach, but to expect him to be the main guy and defend consistently for 82 games + playoffs is asking a lot.

Guys like Harden and Melo need help offensively + defensive counterparts to help out. You see it every game, where they are saving themselves for the 4th quarter. When LeBron saves himself in the game, he has another option or 2 at times to take the load offensively (he will also defend his position during that time). That's what those guys need. Then you can sit back and call them out on their defensive deficiencies all you want. Until then, they are jump shooters saving their legs for the end of the game.

Case in point is Paul Pierce pre KG. That guy got called out for the same exact things we say about Harden & Melo. Give him KG and Ray and all of a sudden he's guarding Kobe in the finals.

Magic and Iverson.

Magic was never really known for his defensive ability, and he had plenty of help offensively over his career.

Iverson is a good example. However, he was known more for playing the passing lanes and gambling for steals than fundamental defense. Outside of the year Iverson gutted that team to the Finals, did his teams do much else?

[nomansland]

You said it yourself. Lawson is on the small side, and taller guards love to take advantage of him. Not for a lack of trying or effort, but he's a liability. Couple that with Harden and his defensive effort you have a major problem. Especially in Guard heavy league. He should come off the bench as a 6th man, and only pair with Harden when they go small and run. However, ownership may think otherwise. Yes, 90% of defense is effort. However if there's a size/speed mismatch, all the effort in the world can be beaten by an NBA player.

Harden has to do too much offensively in order to give the consistent effort needed defensively to win. It's the same thing with Melo, where they only have so much in the tank. So you either have to bring someone in that can shoulder the load, or bring in guys that will complement his deficiencies. Harden needs a PG that would fit in the triangle offense. Walk it up, plays D, and can hit the 3. He needs another guy on the wing that can do a little bit of everything (defend, 3 ball, post up/iso). Dwight isn't the guy anymore that's going to be able to shoulder an offense load/ or that you are comfortable running plays for down the stretch. You need another guy that can come in be the 1B option. It's imperative in this league, and in that conference to contend for a title. Until then, you're in no man's land.

Rats, I actually meant to reference a post by Nate505 in which he said, "It's easier to fire the coach than the players.

If McHale had anything to do with getting the drunkard cancer on their team, well, he dug his own grave."

Somehow I got that screwed up.


But regarding the idea that Harden has to play too much offensively to play D, come on. Tell that to any MVP caliber players of today or yesteryear.

Outside of dominant big men, what MVP players were considered to be the main focal point of the offense and also defended their position well? (Jordan and Lebron not included, they are freaks of nature)

Curry? Durant? Nash?

It's hard to do maintain MVP level efficiency and guard the 1-3 positions well. Also, everyone on the list had other scorers to defer to in situations, and guys who could pick up the slack defensively. Not trying to make an excuse for Harden and his half hearted approach, but to expect him to be the main guy and defend consistently for 82 games + playoffs is asking a lot.

Guys like Harden and Melo need help offensively + defensive counterparts to help out. You see it every game, where they are saving themselves for the 4th quarter. When LeBron saves himself in the game, he has another option or 2 at times to take the load offensively (he will also defend his position during that time). That's what those guys need. Then you can sit back and call them out on their defensive deficiencies all you want. Until then, they are jump shooters saving their legs for the end of the game.

Case in point is Paul Pierce pre KG. That guy got called out for the same exact things we say about Harden & Melo. Give him KG and Ray and all of a sudden he's guarding Kobe in the finals.

Yes, Durant. LeBron. Jordan. Pippen even. Westbrook. Kobe back in his peak. Isaiah Thomas. You have to count big men too unless you think playing on both ends requires no exertion from bigs either. I'm sure there are others but that's just off the top of my head.

[BubbleBuddy]

Outside of dominant big men, what MVP players were considered to be the main focal point of the offense and also defended their position well? (Jordan and Lebron not included, they are freaks of nature)

Curry? Durant? Nash?

It's hard to do maintain MVP level efficiency and guard the 1-3 positions well. Also, everyone on the list had other scorers to defer to in situations, and guys who could pick up the slack defensively. Not trying to make an excuse for Harden and his half hearted approach, but to expect him to be the main guy and defend consistently for 82 games + playoffs is asking a lot.

Guys like Harden and Melo need help offensively + defensive counterparts to help out. You see it every game, where they are saving themselves for the 4th quarter. When LeBron saves himself in the game, he has another option or 2 at times to take the load offensively (he will also defend his position during that time). That's what those guys need. Then you can sit back and call them out on their defensive deficiencies all you want. Until then, they are jump shooters saving their legs for the end of the game.

Case in point is Paul Pierce pre KG. That guy got called out for the same exact things we say about Harden & Melo. Give him KG and Ray and all of a sudden he's guarding Kobe in the finals.

Magic and Iverson.

One of magic's mainknocks for his career was that he was never a really good defender. Cooper would cover his assignments often.
Allen Iverson played with eric snow, dikembe mutombo, and theo ratliff. He was more of a gambler on steals off ball, rather then a lock down player.