Written by Matt Zemek at Bloguin
Did the Houston Rockets fire Kevin McHale too early? That’s a legitimate question, but it’s a separate conversation. Daryl Morey has already made a decision. He now has to plot his next move and, accordingly, determine the future of this organization.
The interim coach of the Rockets, taken from the pool of McHale’s assistants, represents the starting point for this discussion. J.B. Bickerstaff watched his father, Bernie, torment the Houston Rockets in the 1980s. The Seattle SuperSonics became a nemesis for the Rockets,ushering them out of the playoffs in the 1987 Western Conference semifinals (embedding was disabled).
Now, the son will try to lead the team the father defeated over a quarter of a century ago. What emerges in Bickerstaff’s biography is that for all the ways in which he has not yet proven himself in the NBA, he could quickly prove worthy of his position of leadership.
Erik Spoelstra was a Miami Heat assistant before he was elevated to the top spot by Pat Riley, given the keys to the kingdom in South Florida. Spoelstra gained his assistant position in his mid-20s (just before turning 27), and he ascended to the head coaching spot before turning 38. Bickerstaff became an NBA assistant at 25 with the Charlotte Bobcats, and just like Spoelstra, he spent 11 seasons as an assistant before being given a head coaching job on the sunset side of his mid-30s (he’s 36). The obvious difference is that Bickerstaff hasn’t yet been named the permanent head coach, but if he does well over the next 71 games (should he be given the chance to coach that long), he’ll obviously represent a particularly credible candidate. That much should be kept in mind.
Yet, the Rockets made the West Finals last season. They have James Harden and Dwight Howard on their roster. They nearly landed Chris Bosh a year ago, which would have given them an even more formidable roster. This organization is pursuing championships; the question is if it thinks this season can still be salvaged. Publicly, that’s the expressed intent, but if an NBA title is truly the goal, Morey has to give strong consideration to a few outside candidates.
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