McHale leader for Rockets job
With a strong, late push in the search process, Kevin McHale has emerged as the frontrunner for the Houston Rockets coaching vacancy, multiple league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Saturday.
No final decision has officially been reached, nor are contract negotiations underway, but McHale has clearly separated himself from Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey and Boston Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank, sources said. McHale made a strong final impression in conversations with Houston officials on Thursday in Chicago, and could receive a formal offer in the next week.
The Rockets are still deliberating on different scenarios involving the three finalists, sources say, but McHale is the candidate to beat for the job. Rockets owner Les Alexander must still ultimately sign off on the recommendation of GM Daryl Morey and his front office staff.
McHale, an analyst for TNT, would need to come to agreement on financial terms and length of contract should an offer be made, but sources say he's too anxious for a chance to coach to reject a deal.
McHale also met with Golden State officials about their coaching vacancy on Thursday.
