New Rockets coach Kevin McHale did the pre-game show of the NBA Finals for NBA TV. You won’t believe this, but they actually had the gall to ask him about his new gig as Rockets coach. He handled it by shouting to the heavens that he hates Kevin Martin and wants to gut the team. No, actually he was diplomatic about it. Shocking, I know.
“Doing the TV has been fantastic,” McHale told NBA.com Tuesday. “But this was a chance. It came up, I talked to them. I was a little uncertain whether I was going to jump in with both feet — I wanted it to be the right situation — but after spending time with them, I felt this is a good situation to get involved in.”
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“I had really wanted to coach again,” McHale told NBA.com. "You miss the competition when you’re away from it. That’s what I missed the last couple of years. I’ve done it my whole life.
“From a coaching standpoint, you have a lot more [impact] on the outcome of the game than when you’re GM-ing. My last stint with the guys in Minnesota, I really enjoyed myself with them. It was a younger team and I had a lot of fun doing it.”
Per Jonathan Feigen, McHale’s opening presser with the Rockets will take place on Friday morning. Look for him to wow the media with his sophisticated television charms, perhaps explaining that the idea of him running a basketball team is a lot like a mule with a spinning wheel.