Rockets fire head coach McHale

“I don’t agree with the firing”, Stevens said Wednesday night before hosting the Dallas Mavericks. We know this team can win.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich questioned the Rockets’ decision.

Harden said he was comfortable with him from the moment they met, adding: “I felt like I was talking to an actual player.”. “Picking my energy up – tonight was the beginning of it”.

“When somebody makes a shot like that, it can wake up everybody”, Brewer said. But losing seven games, especially with the Rockets dismal performance at home, was too much for GM Daryl Morey.

The 36-year-old JB Bickerstaff was named the Rockets’ interim head coach with Chris Finch taking over as associate head coach. It was tough. This is not something we take lightly.

Thibodeau was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 2010 through 2015 but was sacked after not seeing eye-to-eye with upper management on a few key issues. “We weren’t able to close it out, and Corey Brewer hits a one-legged runner from the logo, and that’s the way it goes”.

Will this be the game that turns Houston’s season around?

“He’ll have some opportunities in TV, and maybe when the dust settles I can get him out to teach the slippery eel to Kelly (Olynyk) and Sully (Jared Sullinger) and Amir (Johnson)”. “We’ve got to get better”. Depending on how things go in Charlotte, they might be targeting Steve Clifford to be his predecessor.

Former Ohio State player Jared Sullinger had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics. Owner Leslie Alexander has said that Bickerstaff will likely get the rest of this season to try and win the job on a permanent basis, but until he does there will be names thrown out there as a potential replacement for next year and beyond. Prior to that, the Rockets started the season on the wrong foot with a 0-3 record.

Unfortunately, the injury hindered that from happening and Dekker will have to miss time. Allen Crabbe scored 15 points off the bench….

James Harden scored all nine of the Rockets’ points in overtime to help them end a four-game skid. Houston was without PG Patrick Beverley (ankle) for a third straight game.

So, did anything change in the hours after McHale was sacked?

Before the game against Portland, some players expressed a feeling of guilt upon hearing the news of their head coach’s departure. McHale took the fall for it. Still, 11 games in is awfully quick.