Sources: McHale to meet with Rockets owner
Kevin McHale’s moment of truth for the Houston Rockets' coaching job will happen Wednesday, when McHale, the vacancy’s frontrunner, will meet with owner Leslie Alexander in Miami, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
McHale made a strong impression on Rockets GM Daryl Morey and his front-office staff in a second interview on Thursday in Chicago, and separated himself from Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey and Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank.
Alexander will huddle with his front office soon thereafter the meeting, and will come to a final decision about whom to hire. The owner will make the ultimate decision on Rick Adelman's replacement, but McHale will get the strongest endorsement of the basketball operations staff, sources said.
Casey is running a close second in the search, but sources said that Alexander loved his initial meeting with Frank, too.
Several factors will come into play when Houston makes an offer, including the next coach’s willingness to accept a short-term deal – possibly two years – and strong suggestions on an assistant coaching staff. The Rockets want their D-League affiliate coach, Chris Finch of Rio Grande Valley, to be part of the coaching staff. They see him as an eventual NBA head coach.
McHale, an analyst for TNT, is in Miami for the Eastern Conference finals.
