He signed a three year extension last December, and the Rockets looked ready for take off (ha). This year, the team has struggled to do anything well: Harden is shooting more, and less efficiently, the team is figuring out how to use Ty Lawson, and they are getting blown out by the likes of the Nuggets (twice) and the Nets (8 points isn't a blowout, but they were the first team the Net's had beaten through 8 games).
What's next for Houston? Probably ride it out with interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, or make a splashy hire such as Tibs???
I'm curious of what's next for McHale. In Houston he went 193-130 overall. I am sure he will get a few calls.
Top three most likely destinations for McHale (Don't rule out a return to TV):
3. Charlotte Hornets.
Yeah they have Steve Clifford right now, and he did well in his first year with the team, leading them to the playoffs, but they struggled mightily last year. I am not a fan of giving up on coaches so soon, but the NBA seems to be pretty quick to let coaches go. One of the main reasons this could work: Al Jefferson.
McHale is the big man guru. As a player, McHale had a lethal combination of low post moves. It is only natural he passes on his knowledge to the next generation. Big Al already has a nice low post game, and he is past the learning stage of his career. But Al loved playing with McHale in Minnesota.
Reuniting them makes a lot of sense. McHale and Al worked well together when Al was just 24, so it would be very interesting to see how they work now. Whether or not McHale would implement Morey's analytic style somewhere else remains to be seen.
Kemba Walker could benefit from the style change. Charlotte has been so bad on offense these past few years that they could use a change. Despite what was happening with this year's Rockets, McHale's teams play good defense.
The reason this might not happen is if the Hornets want consistency at coach, but I could see this becoming a possibility if the Hornets start struggling.
2. Sacramento Kings.
Everyone has heard about the drama in Sac-town. There seems to have been "Karl on the hot seat" talks ever since he was hired. DeMarcus Cousins has gone off on Karl multiple times. There were rumors that management talked to players about whether they should fire Karl. I think we would all be shocked if Karl is still coaching this team by February.
The Kings want to do two things: Make big splashes, and keep Cousins. Sadly, the former has sometimes seemed more important than the latter.
Hiring McHale would accomplish both of these "goals". He is a big name with a pretty solid track record. What other coach would you want mentoring Boogie? This makes sense on so many levels. It would even benefit Willie Cauley Stein as well. I am sure Boogie wouldn't have too many qualms with it.
The problem: Would McHale want to coach the Kings? He just finished coaching one of the most "high-character" guys in the league in Dwight Howard. He just finished coaching a bunch of me-first players. And what coach wants to take on the task of coaching Rondo?
It's not just Rondo, but Cousins has yet to latch on to any coaches, except for Mike Malone, whom they inexplicably fired early last season.
They arguably have three me first guys in Rondo, Cousins, and Rudy Gay.
The chemistry has looked disastrous at times.
They are a few years away from actually contending in the West.
While I think it is very possible the Kings would love to get McHale, I am not sure if McHale would love to get the Kings.
1. Minnesota Timberwolves.
As I said earlier, McHale never really got a fair chance to coach Minnesota. He was a part of the organization for years in the front office, but he only coached them for 94 games in two separate stints. (The second stint came after they fired Randy Wittman who had replaced the fired Dwayne Casey, not exactly tough acts to follow) This time around, McHale could be just what these young wolves need.
The Wolves have one of the most exciting young big men in recent years in Karl-Anthony Towns. Having him being molded by McHale would be super exciting to watch. Imagine KAT's freakish athleticism with McHale's fine tuning.
The Wolves have been surprisingly competitive this season, so adding a seasoned coach with ties to the organization might be just what they need.
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