Kevin McHale, Dwane Casey: Lockout increases the challenges for new coaches – NBA Special report
(Part 2)
Kevin McHale, Houston Rockets
Kevin McHale took over the reins of Houston Rockets from Rick Adelman. He might not have that much of an experience in coaching, but as a player McHale made several achievements in his career and was known for his aggressive approach towards the game.
NBA lockout is however, not an ideal situation for McHale to make a start.
As a player McHale got his hands on the National Basketball Association Championship three times and on seven occasions he was named an All-Star. In the ex- Boston Celtics star, the Rockets believe that they have found the right person to carry their franchise.
The Rockets are passing through a rebuilding phase and that fact has become more pronounced with the inevitable retirement of Yao Ming. Now, what McHale has in his hand, is a bunch of young player with a blend of some experience and he has to utilize these resources to once again make Rockets a playoff contender. He no doubt has a good assisting team, but with the departure of Ming, the centre position is left vacant. At 6ft 4in, Chuck Hayes might not be the perfect option and in order to test his options, McHale needed time, and this is thing, he is not going to get.
Then there is a case of fine tuning the four new comers that have made their way to the franchise. Multiply all this and McHale has a job on his hand.
Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors
With the Toronto Raptors, Dwane Casey got his first shot as a head coach, after his successive assistant stint with the current NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks. As compared to the other new hires, Casey has the upper hand, as he was actively involved with the Mavs till late in the season. Plus, he has a nine years experience to boast off, a luxury that Mark Jackson and McHale do not possess.
The Raptors hired Casey because of his famed defensive tactics that limited the trio (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh) of the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. Toronto’s management is expecting from Casey to pull the same magic again with the franchise. Last season, the Raptors finished 24th and 27th in the fast-break points given.
The Raptors are a young team and they have the resources to make it big. Offense has never been a problem and all Casey needs to do is to introduce a defensive system in the team and remove the tactical errors in the back court. That needs time and interaction with the player and Casey is not going to get any of that, at least now.
When the lockout does settles down, Casey would not have enough time to develop chemistry within the squad.
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