HOUSTON, Texas (AFP) – Kevin McHale was confirmed as the new coach of the Houston Rockets on Wednesday by the NBA club, which dropped Rick Adelman in April after the team failed to reach the playoffs.
McHale, who agreed to terms on the deal last week, takes over just three weeks ahead of the NBA Draft and with only one month remaining in the NBA’s contract between owners and players as a possible shutdown looms in July.
McHale, a former Boston Celtics star and Minnesota Timberwolves executive who twice was forced into an interim coaching role at Minnesota, won three NBA crowns in the 1980s during a 13-season career with the Celtics.
“Kevin McHale is a proven NBA champion who has the leadership skills and basketball knowledge necessary to guide our team into the future,” Rockets owner Les Alexander said.
The 53-year-old American might have the chance to guide another famed NBA big man if 2.26m Chinese star center Yao Ming, who missed all but five games last season with a broken foot, is able to return to the NBA and signs with the Rockets.
McHale becomes the club’s 12th coach and the third since 2003, when Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down because of health issues.
“It felt like the right situation for me,” McHale said. “I enjoy the competitive nature of our game and I am looking forward to getting to work with the very talented roster of players that are already in place here in Houston.”
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin McHale has been hired to coach the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets made it official Wednesday that McHale will take over for Rick Adelman, who left the team days after his fourth season in Houston.
McHale spent 15 years with the Timberwolves in his native Minnesota. The Hall of Famer was let go in 2009 and has recently served as a TV analyst. Reports last Friday said he was taking the job.
He will be introduced at a news conference in Houston on Friday.
The 53-year-old McHale becomes Houston’s third coach since 2003, when Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down for health reasons. Jeff Van Gundy coached the team from 2003-07, taking the Rockets to three playoff appearances.
“As we explored the opportunity to come to Houston, it felt like the right situation for me,” McHale said in a statement. “I enjoy the competitive nature of our game and I am looking forward to getting to work with the very talented roster of players that are already in place here in Houston.”
He will return to coaching for the first time since posting a 20-43 record with the Timberwolves in the 2008-09 season, when he took over after Randy Wittman was fired. McHale also led Minnesota for the last 31 games of the 2004-2005 season after he fired Flip Saunders, but he has never coached a full NBA season.
Rockets owner Leslie Alexander believes McHale’s impressive basketball pedigree will lead to success in Houston despite his limited coaching experience.
“Kevin McHale is a proven NBA champion (with the Boston Celtics) who has the leadership skills and basketball knowledge necessary to guide our team into the future,” Alexander said. “Kevin’s hard-nosed work ethic and tenacity on the court led him to a Hall of Fame career and a legacy as one of the NBA’s greatest low-post players of all time. I’m looking forward to seeing Kevin share his unique basketball knowledge and experience.”
Houston has failed to reach the playoffs the last two years as it dealt with injuries that have limited All-Star center Yao Ming to just five games since the 2008-09 season. In Yao’s last healthy season, Houston reached the Western Conference semifinals, breaking a streak of seven consecutive first-round exits for the franchise.
The Rockets went 43-39 this season as one of the league’s highest-scoring teams, averaging 105.9 points per game.
Yao’s contract expires this summer, but he has said he hopes to continue playing for the Rockets when he recovers from the stress fracture to his left ankle.
McHale first joined the Timberwolves as a TV analyst and special assistant before he was promoted to assistant general manager in August 1994. He was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 1995 and drafted Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall pick that year.
The Wolves soon began a run of seven straight playoff appearances from 1997-2004 and reached the Western Conference finals in 2004.
The highlight of McHale’s time as an executive in Minnesota was drafting Garnett. Subsequent moves and draft picks didn’t turn out as well and he became increasingly unpopular with fans.
McHale was the third overall pick in the 1980 draft, won three championships with the Celtics and was chosen in 1996 as one of the 50 greatest NBA players.
He was a seven-time All-Star in his 13 seasons with the Celtics. He won the NBA’s Sixth Man award twice and averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds for his career. He was even better in the playoffs where he averaged 18.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 169 career games.
McHale was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.
HOUSTON — Kevin McHale has been hired to coach the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets made it official Wednesday that McHale will take over for Rick Adelman, who left the team days after his fourth season in Houston.
McHale spent 15 years with the Timberwolves in his native Minnesota. The Hall of Famer was let go in 2009 and has recently served as a TV analyst. Reports last Friday said he was taking the job.
He will be introduced at a news conference in Houston on Friday.
The 53-year-old McHale becomes Houston’s third coach since 2003, when Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down for health reasons. Jeff Van Gundy coached the team from 2003-07, taking the Rockets to three playoff appearances.
“As we explored the opportunity to come to Houston, it felt like the right situation for me,” McHale said in a statement. “I enjoy the competitive nature of our game and I am looking forward to getting to work with the very talented roster of players that are already in place here in Houston.”
He will return to coaching for the first time since posting a 20-43 record with the Timberwolves in the 2008-09 season, when he took over after Randy Wittman was fired. McHale also led Minnesota for the last 31 games of the 2004-2005 season after he fired Flip Saunders, but he has never coached a full NBA season.
Rockets owner Leslie Alexander believes McHale’s impressive basketball pedigree will lead to success in Houston despite his limited coaching experience.
“Kevin McHale is a proven NBA champion (with the Boston Celtics) who has the leadership skills and basketball knowledge necessary to guide our team into the future,” Alexander said. “Kevin’s hard-nosed work ethic and tenacity on the court led him to a Hall of Fame career and a legacy as one of the NBA’s greatest low-post players of all time. I’m looking forward to seeing Kevin share his unique basketball knowledge and experience.”
Houston has failed to reach the playoffs the past two years as it dealt with injuries that have limited All-Star center Yao Ming to just five games since the 2008-09 season. In Yao’s last healthy season, Houston reached the Western Conference semifinals, breaking a streak of seven consecutive first-round exits for the franchise.
The Rockets went 43-39 this season as one of the league’s highest-scoring teams, averaging 105.9 points per game.
Yao’s contract expires this summer, but he has said he hopes to continue playing for the Rockets when he recovers from the stress fracture to his left ankle.
McHale first joined the Timberwolves as a TV analyst and special assistant before he was promoted to assistant general manager in August 1994. He was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 1995 and drafted Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall pick that year.
The Wolves soon began a run of seven straight playoff appearances from 1997-2004 and reached the Western Conference finals in 2004.
The highlight of McHale’s time as an executive in Minnesota was drafting Garnett. Subsequent moves and draft picks didn’t turn out as well and he became increasingly unpopular with fans.
McHale was the third overall pick in the 1980 draft, won three championships with the Celtics and was chosen in 1996 as one of the 50 greatest NBA players.
He was a seven-time All-Star in his 13 seasons with the Celtics. He won the NBA’s Sixth Man award twice and averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds for his career. He was even better in the playoffs where he averaged 18.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 169 career games.
McHale was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.
MIAMI – It’s official: Hall of famer Kevin McHale is headed to Houston.
Confirming numerous reports over the past couple days, McHale said Tuesday night he has agreed to become the Rockets’ next coach. The former Boston Celtics great and Timberwolves executive takes over for Rick Adelman, who left the team days after his fourth season in Houston ended.
“I was a little uncertain whether I was going to jump in with both feet – I wanted it to be the right situation – but after spending time with them, I felt this is a good situation to get involved in,” McHale told NBA.com before Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
McHale’s first coaching experience came when he took over the Timberwolves for the last 31 games of the 2005 season after he fired Flip Saunders. The longtime Wolves executive went back to the front office after that, then returned to coach in 2008 after Randy Wittman was fired.
McHale, 53, went 20-43 after taking over that season before the Timberwolves let him go. He had been working as a TV analyst.
Houston has missed the playoffs the past two years as it dealt with injuries that have limited all-star center Yao Ming to five games since 2008-09.
McHale, who starred at Hibbing High School and the University of Minnesota, was the third overall pick in the 1980 draft, won three championships with the Celtics and was honored as one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time in 1996.
Kevin McHale has agreed to become the next coach of the Houston Rockets.
McHale’s hire was originally reported on Friday. The TNT analyst confirmed that he had agreed to take the position on NBA TV’s pregame show before Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
“Doing the TV has been fantastic,” McHale told NBA.com Tuesday. “But this was a chance. It came up, I talked to them. I was a little uncertain whether I was going to jump in with both feet — I wanted it to be the right situation — but after spending time with them, I felt this is a good situation to get involved in.”
According to NBA.com, McHale will sign a three-year contract with an option for a fourth year. The former Boston Celtics star expects to be introduced as coach Friday in Houston, the website said.
McHale, formerly the Minnesota Timberwolves’ general manager, was 39-55 in two stints as the Wolves’ interim coach. He was 19-12 after taking over for Flip Saunders in the 2004-05 season and posted a 20-43 mark after replacing Randy Wittman for the final 63 games in the 2008-09 season.
“I had really wanted to coach again,” McHale told NBA.com. “You miss the competition when you’re away from it. That’s what I missed the last couple of years. I’ve done it my whole life.
“From a coaching standpoint, you have a lot more [impact] on the outcome of the game than when you’re GM-ing. My last stint with the guys in Minnesota, I really enjoyed myself with them. It was a younger team and I had a lot of fun doing it.”
McHale’s time as an executive in Minnesota was highlighted by drafting Kevin Garnett out of high school in 1995. Other moves and draft decisions didn’t go over as well with fans and he began to draw criticism.
Houston has missed the playoffs the last two years as it dealt with injuries that have limited All-Star center Yao Ming to just five games since the 2008-09 season. That year, Houston reached the Western Conference semifinals, breaking a streak of seven consecutive first-round exits for the franchise.
Yao’s contract expires this summer, but he has said he hopes to continue playing for the Rockets when he recovers from the stress fracture to his left ankle.
McHale was the third overall pick in the 1980 draft, won three championships with the Celtics and was named one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time in 1996.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
HOUSTON, Texas: Kevin McHale, a former Minnesota Timberwolves executive who was forced into a coaching role twice, has agreed in principle to coach the Houston Rockets, the Houston Chronicle reported Friday (Saturday in Manila).
The NBA club did not confirm the report, which had them making an offer to McHale on Friday after a month-long search to replace Rick Adelman, who was not retained after a 43-39 season that did not include a playoff berth.
If 2.26m Chinese star center Yao Ming, who missed all but five games last season with a broken foot, is able to return to the NBA and the Rockets, he will have an former NBA star big man as his new coach.
McHale, 53, spent 13 seasons with the NBA Boston Celtics and together with NBA legend Larry Bird helped them capture three NBA titles in the 1980s. He was twice named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year as top reserve and averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds for his career.
Off the court, McHale takes over a club at the start of the season for the first time after two interim coaching stints with Minnesota after firings.
McHale went 19-12 as an interim coach at the end of the 2004-2005 season after the Timberwolves fired Flip Saunders.
In the 2008-2009 campaign, T-Wolves ownership asked him to return to a coaching job and he went 20-43 but was removed from the job after the season. AFP
Houston, TX (Sports Network) – The Houston Rockets have reportedly settled on Kevin McHale as their next head coach.
According to the Houston Chronicle, McHale has agreed in principle to a three- year contract. The deal would also include a team option for a fourth year.
The 53-year-old McHale replaces Rick Adelman, who was let go in April after four seasons at the helm.
A Hall of Fame player as a member of the Boston Celtics, McHale boasts only 94 games of coaching experience during two different stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, for whom he worked in the front office from 1993-2009.
McHale served as interim coach for the final 31 games of the 2004-05 season after dismissing Flip Saunders, going 19-12 that year. He then took over bench duties for the fired Randy Wittman early in the 2008-09 campaign and the club posted a 20-43 record.
Before succeeding Wittman, the Minnesota native stepped down as the Timberwolves’ vice president of basketball operations, a position he had held since 1995.
McHale spent 13 seasons with the Celtics, winning three NBA championships in the 1980s. He was a seven-time All-Star and was also selected as one of the league’s top-50 all-time players in 1996.
The Rockets finished the 2010-11 season with a 43-39 record and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
HOUSTON – A person familiar with the situation says the Houston Rockets are close to hiring Kevin McHale as their new coach.
The person says the team is negotiating a contract with McHale. The person spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet complete.
McHale would take over for Rick Adelman, who left the team days after his fourth season in Houston.
McHale, a Hall of Fame player for the Boston Celtics, spent 15 years with the Timberwolves in his native Minnesota. He was let go in 2009 and has recently served as a TV analyst.
The 53-year-old McHale would become Houston’s third coach since 2003, when Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down for health reasons. Jeff Van Gundy coached the team from 2003-07, taking the Rockets to three playoff appearances.
Houston has missed the playoffs the last two years as it dealt with injuries that have limited All-Star center Yao Ming to just five games since the 2008-09 season. That year, Houston reached the Western Conference semifinals, breaking a streak of seven consecutive first-round exits for the franchise.
Yao’s contract expires this summer, but he has said he hopes to continue playing for the Rockets when he recovers from the stress fracture to his left ankle.
McHale’s time as an executive in Minnesota was highlighted by drafting Kevin Garnett out of high school in 1995. Other moves and draft decisions didn’t go over as well with fans and he began to draw criticism.
McHale’s first coaching experience came when he took over the Wolves for the last 31 games of the 2005 season after he fired Flip Saunders. He went back to the front office after that before returning to the position in 2008 after Randy Wittman was fired.
He went 20-43 after taking over that season before the Timberwolves let him go.
McHale was the third overall pick in the 1980 draft, won three championships with the Celtics and was named one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time in 1996.
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HOUSTON (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the Houston Rockets are close to hiring Kevin McHale as their new coach.
The person says the team is negotiating a contract with McHale. The person spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet complete.
McHale would take over for Rick Adelman, who left the team days after his fourth season in Houston.
McHale, a Hall of Fame player for the Boston Celtics, spent 15 years with the Timberwolves in his native Minnesota. He was let go in 2009 and has recently served as a TV analyst.
The 53-year-old McHale would become Houston’s third coach since 2003, when Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down for health reasons. Jeff Van Gundy coached the team from 2003-07, taking the Rockets to three playoff appearances.
Houston has missed the playoffs the last two years as it dealt with injuries that have limited All-Star center Yao Ming to just five games since the 2008-09 season. That year, Houston reached the Western Conference semifinals, breaking a streak of seven consecutive first-round exits for the franchise.
Yao’s contract expires this summer, but he has said he hopes to continue playing for the Rockets when he recovers from the stress fracture to his left ankle.
McHale’s time as an executive in Minnesota was highlighted by drafting Kevin Garnett out of high school in 1995. Other moves and draft decisions didn’t go over as well with fans and he began to draw criticism.
McHale’s first coaching experience came when he took over the Wolves for the last 31 games of the 2005 season after he fired Flip Saunders. He went back to the front office after that before returning to the position in 2008 after Randy Wittman was fired.
He went 20-43 after taking over that season before the Timberwolves let him go.
McHale was the third overall pick in the 1980 draft, won three championships with the Celtics and was named one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time in 1996.
To the surprise of many NBA followers, the Houston Rockets have offered their head coaching job to seven-time Boston Celtics all-star Kevin McHale.
Sources within the Rockets front office have indicated the process climaxed Thursday evening. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has not commented or responded to interview requests but it was reported that Morey recommended McHale to Rockets owner Les Alexander last weekend.
The 53-year-old former Minnesota Timberwolves executive was chosen over Boston assistant Lawrence Frank and Dallas assistant Dwane Casey after meeting with Alexander on Wednesday in Miami.
McHale most recently has served as Turner Network Television basketball analyst on NBA game telecasts.
McHale will succeed Rick Adelman, with the Rockets going from a coach eighth in career victories to a Hall of Fame-caliber player who has never been a coach for a full season. McHale retired as one of the NBA’s Top 50 all-time players following a college career at the University of Minnesota.
After one season as a broadcaster, McHale was named the Minnesota Timberwolves vice-president of basketball operations in 1995. McHale fired Flip Saunders during the 2004-05 season and compiled a 19-12 record but he indicated no desire whatsoever to permanently remain in coaching at that time.
Rumors had circulated a week ago after his second Rockets interview that McHale clearly separated himself from Frank and Casey during the interview process. The irony of that fact is that Frank and Casey had more extensive NBA coaching backgrounds.
The Rockets have had three head coaches in the last 19 years. They parted ways with Adelman in April, and reportedly planned to offer McHale a short-term deal.
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Kevin McHale has been hired as the Houston Rockets’ new head coach, according to Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski. News broke Thursday that, after three interviews with the former general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Rockets offered McHale the job. Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle has reported that the deal will go three seasons with a team option on the fourth year. Justice said the final item to hammer out was direction over the rest of the coaching staff.
McHale met with Rockets owner Leslie Alexander this week after interviewing twice with general manager Daryl Morey. The fit is an interesting one; Morey is the face of the advanced metric vanguard, and McHale is seen as an old-school basketball type who relies more on eyes than spreadsheets. McHale served as the general manager of the Wolves for more than a decade after his Hall-of-Fame career with the Boston Celtics ended. Under McHale’s watch, Minnesota drafted Kevin Garnett and made a string of postseason appearances. But the Wolves made it so far as the conference finals just once, in 2004.
Wojnarowski reports that the Rockets will have strong input into McHale’s staff, with D-League coach Chris Finch — who runs the Rockets-affiliated Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Great Britain’s senior men’s national team — expected to move into a spot on the Houston bench.
For more on the Rockets, visit The Dream Shake and SB Nation Houston.
HOUSTON — Sources out of Houston say former Minnesota Timberwolves GM and head coach Kevin McHale has been offered the head coaching job of the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
Those sources say McHale is in serious contract talks with the club to see if they can strike a deal.
MSNBC says the story was confirmed by Rockets’ beat writer Jonathan Feigen, who maintains there’s no guarantee terms will be reached with McHale, but that sources believe both sides are determined to make it happen.
McHale was apparently chosen over Boston assistant Lawrence Frank and Dallas assistant Dwane Casey, both of whom interviewed with Rockets owner Leslie Alexander on Wednesday.
Following a Hall-of-Fame career with the Boston Celtics, McHale moved to the Timberwolves front office where he ran on-court operations for the franchise. Despite being hesitant to work on the bench, he finished the 2004-05 season as interim coach after firing close friend Flip Saunders.
McHale went 19-12 that season, but expressed his unwillingness to pursue a coaching career.
“The chances of me doing this long term are slim to none,” McHale said in an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2005. “I just don‚t think I’m cut out to be a career coach.”
But in 2008-09 Timberwolves owner instructed him to return to the bench. McHale went just 20-43 that season but seemed to warm to the idea of coaching.
Kevin McHale has been offered the Houston Rockets’ head coach job, according to Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen has confirmed the story.
McHale, the Boston Celtics’ legendary power forward and a longtime general manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves, has worked for Turner Sports for the past two years on NBA TV and TNT broadcasts. He has some pro head coaching experience, having twice stepped into the hot seat with the Timberwolves, after firing Flip Saunders in 2005 and Randy Wittman in 2009. Under McHale as coach, the Wolves went 39-55. In each case, the Wolves’ performance improved under McHale.
Woj reports that while nothing is final, McHale and the Rockets want to get a deal done. Houston let Rick Adelman’s contract expire at the end of the season. Reports suggested the Rockets wanted Adelman to agree to groom a successor if re-signed; Adelman declined.
Dwane Casey, a coach McHale hired and fired in Minnesota, and Lawrence Frank were considered finalists for the job with McHale. Casey is an assistant coach for the NBA Finals-bound Dallas Mavericks. Frank is the top assistant for the Boston Celtics.
For more on the Rockets, visit The Dream Shake and SB Nation Houston.
The Houston Rockets could extend an offer to a new head coach “as early as Friday” and the word from CBSSports.com is that it won’t be Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank.
Frank is in the running for the gig along with former Minnesota Timberwolves coach Kevin McHale and Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey, but a source told CBS that Frank has been “losing ground.”
All three have had two interviews with the team and a source to CBS said that “all three candidates have presented compelling visions for the team, but not all aspects of the candidates’ strategies are on the same page with Houston management.”
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Source: CBSSports.com
Related: Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Houston Rockets could extend an offer to a new head coach “as early as Friday” and the word from CBSSports.com is that it won’t be Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank.
