MIAMI—Former Boston Celtics great Kevin McHale said Tuesday he has agreed to coach the Houston Rockets, taking over from Rick Adelman.
“I was a little uncertain whether I was going to jump in with both feet — I wanted it to be the right situation — but after spending time with them, I felt this is a good situation to get involved in,” McHale told NBA.com prior to game one of the NBA finals.
McHale’s name had been linked with the Rockets last week. They reportedly made him an offer on Friday after a month-long search to replace Adelman, who was not retained after a 43-39 season that did not include a playoff berth.
If 2.26-meter Chinese star center Yao Ming, who missed all but five games last season with a broken foot, is able to return to the NBA and the Rockets, he will have a former NBA star big man as his new coach.
McHale, 53, spent 13 seasons with the Celtics and together with NBA legend Larry Bird helped them capture three NBA titles in the 1980s. He was twice named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year as top reserve and averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds for his career.
Off the court, McHale takes over a club at the start of the season for the first time after two interim coaching stints with Minnesota.
McHale went 19-12 as an interim coach at the end of the 2004-2005 season after the Timberwolves fired Flip Saunders.
During the 2008-2009 campaign, the T-Wolves ownership asked him to return to a coaching job and he went 20-43 but was removed from the job after the season.