The Houston Rockets have fired head coach Kevin McHale only six months after he led them to the Western Conference finals.
The move was first reported by Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, citing league sources.
The Rockets, thought to be a title contender after adding free-agent point guard Ty Lawson to a team that boasted James Harden and Dwight Howard, have lost seven of their first 11 games.
McHale’s assistant coach JB Bickerstaff was named interim head coach while assistant coach Chris Finch will serve as associate head coach, Wojnarowski reported.
Houston’s 111-95 loss at home to the Boston Celtics on Monday was the team’s fourth straight and dropped them to 11th place in the conference standings. The move comes less than one year after he signed a three-year contract extension worth between $12m and $13m.
McHale went 193-130 in just over four seasons with Houston, a .598 winning percentage that rates top in club history, with three playoff appearances.
Last year, the Rockets were the No2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs after winning the Southwest Division at 56-26, knocking off the Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers before falling to eventual champions Golden State in a five-game conference finals.
