Tag: Daryl Morey

Rockets center Yao calls it a career

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Houston Chronicle

A sports career unlike any other is over.

Yao Ming, who became the face of China’s outreach to the West and the NBA’s growing popularity around the globe, has informed the Rockets and NBA he would retire, several individuals told of the decision confirmed on Friday.

Yao has played in just five games the past two season and has had five consecutive seasons ended or interrupted by bone injuries, most recently a stress fracture in his left leg suffered Nov. 10 in Washington. Yahoo.com reported that Yao officially informed the NBA of his decision in the past 48 hours.

An eight-time All Star, he averaged 19.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in his career. He had said in March and again in May that he had chosen to continue his rehabilitation to attempt a comeback. A free agent, he said he wanted to play for the Rockets. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey and owner Leslie Alexander said they wanted Yao back.

“I’ll try continuing. I’ll try continuing,” Yao said. “A lot will depend on this foot.”

Asked if he believes he will play again, Yao said, “That’s the direction.”

Yao could not, however, play again with any confidence that he would avoid injuries.

“When you look at the course of Yao’s career, stress fractures have been a part of his foot,” Rockets team physician Walter Lowe said in December. “To say he’s not at a risk to continue to have stress fractures would be crazy. He is at a continued risk.”

Yao had said last off season in China that if he could not stay healthy that he would have to retire.

Limited to no more than 24 minutes per game, he played in just five games before the injury in Washington. Initially thought to be a relatively sprained ankle, a stress fracture was later found, ending Yao’s season and career.

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Rockets tab McHale as coach

By Jonathan Feigen
jonathan.feigen@chron.com

HOUSTON — There were better matches, at least in terms of style and strengths. There were far greater coaching résumés and more tested coaches. Kevin McHale, however, became the Rockets choice to succeed Rick Adelman as coach because of a quality they could not resist.

“I’d put Kevin’s intelligence level about basketball up there with anybody’s,” said Danny Ainge, the Celtics executive vice president and McHale’s friend since the two helped the Celtics defeat the Rockets in the NBA Finals 25 years ago.

“I think that Kevin, though he lacks front-line coaching experience, has watched as many games and as much tape as anyone, and has learned about basketball from some of the great minds.”

The Rockets and McHale quickly agreed on Friday to a four-year contract, the final season the team’s option. McHale, who went 39-55 during two coaching stints with Minnesota while working as the Timberwolves’ vice president from 1995-2009, expressed reluctance at one time in becoming a career coach. But after a second stint in which he earned good reviews from his players, he reversed that position.

A key to the choice of McHale will be the selection of a strong lead assistant to run the defense and handle many of the finer points of preparation and practice, with McHale being more big-picture and player-development oriented.

Minnesota assistant Kelvin Sampson, Memphis’ Dave Joerger and New Orleans’ Michael Malone, who were early head coaching candidates in the Rockets’ wide-open search, are among the team’s top choices for the position, according to a person familiar with the process. Sampson and Malone could still be head coaching candidates, and Malone might join Mike Brown’s staff with the Lakers. Though Joerger is not officially a lead assistant, the Grizzlies likely will try to keep him.

Chris Finch, the coach of the club’s Development League Rio Grande Valley Vipers, will be promoted in part because he spent the past two seasons running the offense that worked well for the Rockets under Adelman.

Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and general manager Daryl Morey chose McHale over finalists Dwane Casey and Lawrence Frank on Thursday after several conversations with McHale, mostly about the structure of the coaching staff. McHale had been interviewed twice by Morey before he became the third candidate to meet with Alexander.

Twice the NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner, McHale averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds and became part of one of the greatest frontcourt in league history with Larry Bird and Robert Parish.

“I view him on the level of my favorite great coach, Adelman,” Rockets guard Kevin Martin said. “We just found a big piece to our puzzle. Now I can go back to my summer workouts and rest peacefully at night knowing we have a great coach that will elevate everyone’s game.”

Former OU coach Sampson set for Rockets’ interview

Former Oklahoma coach and current Milwaukee assistant Kelvin Sampson is set to interview with Houston general manager Daryl Morey about the vacant Rockets’ head coaching job.  

The Houston Chronicle reported that to become one of the first to interview for the vacant job, created last week when Rick Adelman’s contract was not renewed.

Among those  who will be interviewed on Wednesday by Morey include former Rockets assistant coach Jack Sikma and former Spurs and Rockets player and assistant coach Mario Elie.

Former Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, a former Rockets player who still lives in Katy, is expected to meet with Morey on Thursday.

The Chronicle reported that Morey has received permission to speak with several assistants whose teams still are involved in the playoffs. He is expected to try to work those interviews around the first round of playoffs.

Among the assistants that the Chronicle reports that the Rockets have interest in talking to include Spurs lead assistant coach Mike Budenholzer. Others include  Dave Joeger of Memphis, Dwayne Casey of Dallas, former New Jersey coach and current Boston lead assistant Lawrence Frank and Los Angeles Clippers assistant Dean Demopoulos.  

Another candidate the Rockets are interested in is former Cleveland head coach and Spurs assistant coach Mike Brown.