5 replacements for Dave Joerger with Memphis Grizzlies
By John Buhler
4. Kevin McHale
Even with the New Orleans Pelicans coming off a disastrous 2015-16 NBA season, the Southwest Division in the NBA is and will continue to be an absolute bloodbath entering next year. The San Antonio Spurs are NBA elite. The Houston Rockets should be better if they can clean up that caustic mix of complex locker room personalities. Rick Carlisle is still an amazing head coach for an also-ran Mavericks team.
Memphis could theoretically finish anywhere from second in the Southwest (no way are the Grizzlies besting the Spurs) to last place in 2016-17. One idea to help Memphis stay competitive in divisional play and furthermore the Western Conference is to hire a coach that once led the rival Rockets in Kevin McHale.
McHale was unceremoniously ousted as head coach only a handful of games into the 2015-16 NBA season, merely months after leading the Rockets to the 2015 Western Conference Finals. McHale is a Hall of Fame big man from his terrific playing days with the Celtics.
He coached a team that strives to play the most efficient offensive brand of basketball: corner threes and living at the free throw line with All-Star shooting guard James Harden. McHale could potentially keep the Grizzlies’ ultra-physical front court intact while simultaneously ushering in an era of Grizzlies basketball where they aren’t a bottom three team in the league in shooting from distance.
McHale may have benefitted from coaching in Houston general manager Daryl Morey’s deep analytical approach to winning basketball games and may not be all that special of a head coach. However, he’s still good enough to lead an NBA team next season. McHale shouldn’t be the Grizzlies first or second choice for the job, but they could do a lot worse than him as their next head coach.
Next: 3. Patrick Ewing