Houston Rockets: 10 Reasons Kevin McHale Has Already Failed as Coach

Kevin McHale is a great example of a great player who could never put it together as a coach or front-office presence. He still has the name recognition, which is probably part of the reason he was given the coaching job in Houston this season.

Since coming in, he has done nothing good for the team but set them back. Granted, they were not a great team before, but they were a good, promising group of players that could very well be a disruptive lower seed. Nevertheless, in 2012 they did not make the playoffs.

Here are the 10 ways Kevin McHale has already let down every Rockets' fan in the country.

Failed to Orchestrate Good Trades

I realize the coach is not the one who does the trading and the dealing of players, but he does have a say. A good coach always makes sure he has a say in the trading of players and even makes suggestions to the front office.

McHale has done nothing as far as trading except for getting rid of one of the more promising young point guards in the league for Marcus Camby. Other than that move, there has been no trade to improve the weaknesses of the roster or further highlight the strengths.

Did Not Rally the Team in the End

The Rockets missed the playoffs by just two games due to their six-game losing streak toward the end of April. The team was not focused and did not close out the season adequately.

They did not have an easy April, but their finish showed just how unmotivated these players were. As I will mention again, this is a reasonably talented group of players, and the fact that McHale failed to get anything out of them in the home stretch is really a shame.

Team Was Very Inconsistent

This was a very streaky team throughout the whole season and very few teams can be successful while being so inconsistent. They had a seven-game winning streak, a six-game losing streak and a four-game winning streak that was later countered by a five-game losing streak.

The season was really crazy. At one point, they looked like an amazing team that could take on anybody. At other times, they looked mediocre and ridiculously outmatched.

This type of season can’t be blamed on the players, so McHale takes the fall here.

Bleak Outlook for the Future

The Rockets do have a group of young players that show reasonable promise, but McHale has failed to get the right group of young talent.

As it stands now, they have no promise at the center position as both of their centers are north of 30 with Marcus Camby being just two years shy of 40.

Their power forward situation is not too much better and Scola is now 32 with no serviceable replacement. At this point, McHale is their best option as a backup power forward. The reason I blame this on McHale is found in the next slide.

Coaches Like He Plays

The reason many good players can’t make good coaches is because they have reached a certain level of excellence on the court that they expect it from others.

They also tend to focus on things they did while playing. In McHale’s case, he is all about the paint on both sides of the ball.

The problem is that his roster isn't best suited for defending and attacking the paint. This also leads me into…

Very Weak Game Plan

McHale does not seem ready for teams he faces. He is a great TV analyst, but I just haven’t seen his knowledge behind the desk translate into readiness on the court. 

As a coach of a potential playoff team, you have to be ready for your matchups each week.

Too many possessions end in a terrible shot, and too many plays just don’t work.

Not Using the Roster Correctly

What McHale has is a well-rounded roster that can really be very effective on the offensive end. Lowry is a good ball handler and guys like Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger are good shooters on the outside. Scola has an above average post game while Courtney Lee is a well-rounded offensive talent.

He should be able to make this work, but he simply can’t.

The Team Had a Better Record Year Before

A huge knock on McHale is that he came in and the team became worse. The Rockets missed the playoffs in 2011, but they finished above .500, a point they barely reached this year.

Last season, the competition was very strong, but it was not this year, and Houston should have been in the playoffs.

Defense Not a Priority

The defense and rebounding have not been strong points for the Rockets team. McHale seems much more interested in offense, just like he was during his playing days, but it didn't work.

His offensive play calling was also not completely working as Houston finished ninth in points per game, but 14th in field goal percentage.

Since the players was struggling at times on the offensive end, they should have been addressing the defense.

Is Not Spreading the Minutes Correctly

Kyle Lowry was viewed as a candidate for a breakout season this year, and while his numbers went up, his minutes actually dropped under McHale. Chase Budinger showed promise in his first two seasons, but saw no increase in minutes this season.

Samuel Dalembert is an inconsistent player, but considering the weaknesses of Houston, he does not get enough playing time.

The two things a head coach needs to avoid under all circumstances is delaying the progress of young talent by not rewarding them with more minutes. McHale has done both this year.

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