Rockets Kyle Lowry Doesn’t Want to Play for Coach Kevin McHale

In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Kyle Lowry spoke of his current contract status and the changes that would need to be made in order for him to stay in Houston.

Lowry had this to say about his coach Kevin McHale and if they can repair their relationship;

“I don’t think so, I honestly think it would be tough. Things have to be addressed. The situation has to be addressed. If things aren’t addressed coaching wise, I guess, I have to be moved.”

Lowry also addressed weather he and backup point guard Goran Dragic can share the load of running the team and playing together;

“I would say I don’t think so, we’re both capable starters. We both want it. It’s going to have to be a situation where they make a decision on one of us. It has nothing to do with Goran. I’m not happy the way coaches handled things, if management wants to do something to keep Goran, I think I’ll have to be moved.”

McHale in response to Lowry saying they didn’t get along hinted to there being issues at times, but nothing that would lead him to believe they couldn’t work together.

McHale said “That’s very surprising, I didn’t think we had too much of a problem coexisting this year. Everybody has a little beef every once in a while. I didn’t feel like (there were problem). He apparently did. There were times that we didn’t agree on things. There were times that I got on him. I don’t think it was unduly harsh on anybody.”

McHale also addressed Lowry feeling that he and Dragic couldn’t play together.

“They played well together and I thought played very well together at times. There were many times I thought it was a very, very good lineup.”

What this sounds like in my opinion is a young stud of a player not on the same page as the coach. McHale is from the ‘old school’ if you like to put it that way, and probably was very direct in his approach with telling you what you did wrong and need to improve on. And some players can’t deal with that type of coach. Some players like to be coddled, and have criticism sugar coated with praise.

It probably doesn’t help that the Rockets attempted to trade him before the season started. So that probably had him feeling like, how can we get along if you never really wanted me in the first place. However, even with that outlook, you have to do what you can do to make the situation tenable. People talk and you don’t want to get branded as something you’re not. And that’s not to say Lowry is wrong in the way he’s handling the situation, but from his quotes, he sounds like he’s whining just a bit considering he doesn’t give any real examples outside of playing time on why him and McHale can’t coexist. While Lowry is saying he doesn’t think he and Dragic can play together, he may want to change his tune, at least publicly. Hopefully things work out for Lowry and he’s placed in situation he wants to be in.