Heading into the 2015-16 NBA season, the Houston Rockets were favored to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. No surprise, since the Rockets went all the way to the conference finals before losing in five games to eventual NBA champion Golden State.
After losing 7 of their first 11 games this season, those projections look about as silly as a teenager playing with crayons. The Rockets lost their first three games by an average margin of 20 points, an NBA record. On Nov. 18, in a move that sent shock waves across the league, general manager Daryl Morey fired coach Kevin McHale, and assistant J.B. Bickerstaff was named interim coach.
It’s always easier to fire a coach than a whole group of players, but how did McHale go from receiving a three-year contract extension to a pink slip so quickly? What caused the Rockets’ high expectations to crash to earth? Is it too late to right the ship? While there are no easy answers, we can point to four factors that contributed to the team’s fall from grace:
The Leader Lost His Followers.
After McHale’s exit, Rockets point guard Ty Lawson told the Houston Chronicle the players began tuning out their coach at the beginning of this season, even going against his orders and calling their own plays. The day before the firing, a players-only meeting was called. While the players claimed the coaching staff wasn’t discussed at the meeting, the timing of McHale’s departure makes such a claim hard to believe. Either way, it became obvious to Morey the troops were no longer listening to the general, and the change was made.
The defense took a major step backward.
When Bickerstaff became a Rockets assistant in 2007, his main task was to work with the defense. Gradually, his system began to show results. Last season, the Rockets were sixth in the NBA in total defense. After this season’s 4-7 start, the Rockets looked as if they were sleepwalking on transition defense, and were near the bottom in every defensive category. After six games with Bickerstaff as head coach, the Rockets are 24th in team defense. Slight improvement, but a long way from championship caliber play.
Injuries and personal agendas have affected team chemistry.
Dwight Howard and James Harden were supposed to be the stars that would bring the Rockets a championship. Even during the team’s successful push to the Western Conference finals, the two only spent the equivalent of half a season on the court. Howard played in just 41 games due to various ailments, including a knee injury he’s still nursing. Guard Patrick Beverley and forward Terrence Jones have also battled injuries the past two seasons.
Howard has a history of selfish behavior. During the 2012-13 season with the Orlando Magic, he wanted Stan Van Gundy fired as head coach, and constantly changed his mind about whether he wanted to be traded or remain with the team. He was eventually dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers, but clashed with Kobe Bryant. He has shown flashes of his greatness with the Rockets, but injuries have kept him from being a consistent star.
Harden has often been criticized for not playing sound defense, and has struggled to find the offensive consistency that made him MVP runner-up last season. He looks more like his old self since the coaching change, ranking second in the NBA in scoring (29.8 points per game). But his 45-point performance in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, followed by an embarrassing 14-point effort in Game 5, raise questions about his ability to carry a team.
Ty Lawson is a disappointment.
The Rockets acquired Lawson in a trade with the Denver Nuggets over the summer. On paper, it made sense for both parties. The Rockets only gave up nonguaranteed contracts of several fringe players, none of whom played a major part in last season’s playoff rotation. The Nuggets were able to rid themselves of a talented but disruptive Lawson, who was arrested twice in 2015 on DUI charges and spent time in rehab.
Things haven’t been quite so rosy on the court. Lawson began the season as the team’s starting point guard, but has since seen his minutes decline rapidly. He is now third on the depth chart behind Patrick Beverley and Jason Terry. Publicly, he’s accepting his diminished playing time, and his off-court troubles haven’t been an issue (so far). Barring injuries to both Terry and Beverley, Lawson will have a tough time showing the Rockets he’s worth the $11 million they’re paying him.
The Rockets have played .500 ball in Bickerstaff’s first six games as interim coach. Their three losses during that stretch have been by an average of only 8.6, compared to a 15-point average deficit during McHale’s seven defeats. But the Rockets are 10th in the Western Conference playoff race as of Nov. 30, so playing at a .500 pace will not be enough to grab one of the eight postseason spots.
Bickerstaff has been assured he will be given the rest of the season to convince the players to follow his direction, be more disciplined on the court, and build better chemistry. If he fails, the Rockets will be mere spectators come playoff time.