Former Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau. (Photo : Getty Images)
One name has been making rounds online as the possible long-term replacement for recently fired Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale: Tom Thibodeau. The former Chicago Bulls chief bench tactician has been mentioned in a lot of recent reports as the "stand-out" candidate for the vacant post left by McHale on Wednesday.
An ESPN Insider blog indicated that Thibodeau "should be the Rockets' choice" as their new coach and that he is "the best long-term replacement for McHale".
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned him together with former Rockets head coach Jeff van Gundy and Charlotte Hornets current boss Steve Clifford as the top candidates for the job in the future.
However, Kelly Scaletta of Today's Fastbreak said that "Thibodeau is probably the best coach available, but that doesn't mean he's the best coach for the Rockets". He argues that Thibodeau is too "old school" for what GM Daryl Morey is trying to achieve in the Rockets' new culture, which is something similar to what is going on at Golden State.
Scaletta went on to say that Thibs' "overplaying players on minutes restrictions and insistence on pounding the rock into the paint", both of which are early 21st century methods of basketball, is what made the Bulls fire him and Morey will not want those kinds of things in Houston.
As of the moment, Rockets assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff was reportedly assigned by team owner Leslie Alexander to be Houston's interim head coach for the rest of the 2015-2016 season before hiring a permanent person for the job next summer.
Of course, Bickerstaff is expected to be included in the top options when that time comes, especially if the Rockets perform well in this season under him.
The former Charlotte Bobcats and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant had already made a major change in the team's rotation to announce his presence by removing Ty Lawson in the starting lineup in favor of 17-year veteran Jason Terry.
Houston responded positively with a 108-103 overtime victory over the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday where James Harden exploded for 45 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists while Terry had five points, four boards, and three dimes in almost 29 minutes of action.
