Kevin

McHale

“It’s been a long year for me personally in a lot of ways,” said McHale, who returned to the sidelines after the tragic death of his daughter Sasha in November. If McHale reverses course and steps away this summer, the Rockets are rumored to have interest in Stan Van Gundy.

“I think we’re going to play basically the same style,” McHale said. “We have to get better defensively, and with Dwight we have to have more of an emphasis on trying to get the ball in the post. Through Dwight running and Dwight doing different things, I think we can do that without really having to change our identity.” The Rockets led the NBA in pace last season, but Dwight could slow them down a bit. Howard’s presence figures to be more of a help than a hindrance to the values of James Harden and Chandler Parsons.

We don’t have any more information about his absence, but assistant Kelvin Sampson will step in to coach the team if McHale hasn’t returned by Thursday’s game.

The Magic cleaned house with their front office and are looking for a fit with coach Frank Vogel. Based on how things went for McHale in Houston with Daryl Morey, he would be going to the other end of the spectrum on several basketball strategies to work with Vogel.

McHale was reportedly the Kings top targets, so Sacramento will have to go back to the drawing board now. McHale could be linked to the Pacers due to the presence of former teammate and team president Larry Bird if Indiana moves on from current head coach Frank Vogel, so McHale is likely to get a look elsewhere.

A lot of folks don’t quite understand what analytics exactly mean and perhaps no person is more associated with analytics to help build a team than general manager Daryl Morey. The Rockets are going to have to move some pieces around -- Terrence Jones for sure -- in order to hand LMA.

“I just got on their ass yesterday. If you’re going to feel sorry for yourself, don’t show up,” McHale said. “You got to come out swinging. I can’t say a lot about it.” The Rockets are going to have to do a lot of things right to get a win. Most importantly, they need to get shots at the rim and remember not to leave Stephen Curry open. Both are easier said than done.

Their primary goal tonight is to shed salary, so expect this pick to be packaged with other players to drop their cap number. Terrence Jones figures to be at the top of the list with the Rockets already having Donatas Motiejunas and Clint Capela on the roster.

The main goal is to land Bosh and retain restricted free agent Chandler Parsons, but the team reportedly has other options in case they lose out on Bosh. The team has been in talks with the agents for Trevor Ariza, Luol Deng, and Paul Pierce and would likely attempt to use either their $5.3 million mid-level exception or the space created if they decline to match Parson’s offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks. There are more than a few moving pieces floating around here, but it seems like the Rockets have a Plan A, B, and C.

The Rockets lost their first-round series in six games, including three overtimes, falling beneath a barrage of mid-range jumpers from LaMarcus Aldridge. The Rockets have not formally picked up McHale’s 2014-15 option, which leaves the door open for a coaching change, but a source close to the team suggested to ESPN that “McHale’s return next season remains the most likely scenario.”