Finishing up a 2015-16 campaign that could see them miss the playoffs altogether, the Houston Rockets are prepared to analyze every aspect of their basketball operations.
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein and Calvin Watkins, this evaluation will include general manager Daryl Morey and interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
“The Houston Rockets are planning a comprehensive evaluation of all facets of the organization at the end of this highly disappointing season that will put general manager Daryl Morey and interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff under the microscope, according to league sources.”
This really shouldn’t be seen as too much of a surprise. Houston enters the final week of regular season action with a 38-41 record. It has lost seven of the past 10 games and is now one game out of the final playoff spot.
Organizational-wide frustration has to be coming to a head here.
The Rockets’ latest meltdown came in the form of a 124-115 home loss to the lowly Phoenix Suns on Thursday. That game saw Houston out-rebounded by 22, a clear indication that there’s a lack of effort here.
Houston’s general manager since 2007, Morey has spearheaded a widespread level of on-court success over the past several seasons. In fact, 2015-16 will be the first campaign Houston has failed to finish above .500 since he took over the GM role.
That’s fine and dandy, but the NBA is all about recency bias. Based somewhat on Morey’s inability to find complementary parts to James Harden, the team maxed out during a Western Confernce Finals appearance last season. It’s now likely going to be on the outside looking in as it relates to a playoff spot.
This type of regression will surely cost people jobs.
As it relates to Bickerstaff, he took over as the team’s interim head coach after Kevin McHale was fired back in mid-November. The Rockets have posted a pedestrian 34-34 record since, failing to up their game under the new head coach.
At 37 years old and with 11 years of previous experience as an assistant coach, some had Bickerstaff pegged as the long-term guy in Houston. Based on this recent report, that’s obviously no longer the case.