With McHale out; Rockets Search for Identity

Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale has taken a leave of absence to deal with a family matter. McHale has been away from the team since Saturday and there’s no timetable for his return. In the meantime, Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson is filling in as the team’s head coach and keeping McHale updated.
“I talked to him last night at length and talked with him again today,” Sampson said. “It’s a tough time for his family. He’s struggling with that, but we’re keeping him abreast with everything that is going on here and our thoughts and prayers are certainly with him.”
The Rockets are going through an adjustment period as they try to get the new acquisitions James Harden, Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik acclimated. While the offense is still a work in progress, Sampson has been impressed with his team’s defense.
The Rockets are currently 3-4, but they should continue to get better as the season goes on. Sampson is doing his best to guide Houston’s young core until McHale can return to the sideline.

Knicks’ J.R. Smith Making Sixth Man Case?

Don’t expect J.R. Smith to start complaining about his Sixth-Man role any longer Remember when he learned Mike Woodson didn’t look at him as a starter this season. Smith responded by saying, “Disappointing is an understatement.’’
After a modest season opener after playing just once in preseason because of Achilles tendinitis, Smith is tearing it up the past three games, off the bench. Smith is averaging 17.5 points, second-highest on the club after Carmelo Anthony. Smith is also averaging 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the 4-0 Knicks, who play in Orlando tomorrow.
Smith should be a strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, something he scoffed at after learning his non-starter role during training camp

Cavs’ Byron Scott Calls Out Second Unit

Byron Scott is hanging a “Help Wanted” sign after the Cavaliers’ 106-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday evening at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The beleaguered coach is one step short of running an ad in the classifieds or holding open tryouts to find somebody, anybody, to join Daniel Gibson on the team’s unproductive second unit.
“The biggest thing is, I’m just looking for somebody besides Boobie Gibson to step up off the bench,” Scott said after the Cavs dropped their third straight to fall to 2-5 overall, 1-4 on this six-game trip that ends Tuesday at Brooklyn.

NBA BEATS - I like that Byron Scott is calling out his bench players. I like Byron Scott as a coach. I think he can turn things around in Cleveland. I watched them play the other night against the Phoenix Suns. I liked their squad. Especially Dion Waiters. That guy I think is a star in the making. With him and Kyrie Irving, that is a back court to be reckoned with. That could turn into one respectable backcourt. The just need some other players. Good luck with that Bryon.

Lakers Hire Mike D’Antoni as Coach

Mike D’Antoni, not Phil Jackson, will be the next coach of the Lakers.
“We signed Mike D’Antoni to a multi-year deal,” Lakers spokesman John Black said, mentioning the team’s owner and top two executives. “Dr. [Jerry] Buss, Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak were unanimous that Mike D’Antoni was the best coach for the team at this time.”
D’Antoni, 61, coached the New York Knicks last season and the Phoenix Suns before that. He will officially take over the Lakers within a week or two, depending how quickly he recovers from knee-replacement surgery.
The Lakers will introduce their new coach at a news conference as early as Tuesday but more likely later in the week. Bernie Bickerstaff will remain the team’s interim coach for now.
D’Antoni signed a three-year deal for $12 million. The team holds an option for a fourth year.
Jackson was the overwhelming favorite to return to the Lakers until they heard his informal demands, which included a stake in team ownership, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Pacers’ Rising Star Craves Pressure

With all the pressure on Paul George to succeed, it’s has proven challenging to just kick back and be easy about things. George knows that the best players in the league take on those expectations, and that’s exactly what he is trying to do.
“Of course I want that pressure,” he said. “A lot of guys my age, I don’t t think they would approach the game the way that I would. At the end of the day I do want to be an All-Star. I do want to be the best player I can be. But most of all, I just want to win. Whether that’s scoring 15 points and 10-12 rebounds or 20-plus points a night, at the end of the day, with the team that I am surrounded by, I just want to win.”

James, Faried Named Players of Week

The Miami Heat’s LeBron James and the Denver Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried were today named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Nov. 5, through Sunday, Nov. 11.  
James guided the Heat to a 3-1 week with averages of 21.0 points on .569 shooting from the field, a conference-best 11.0 rebounds (tied with the Brooklyn Nets’ Kris Humphries), and 6.0 assists. James grabbed his 5,000^th career rebound on Nov. 9 during Miami’s 95-89 win over Atlanta. James posted a point-rebound double-double in all four of Miami’s contests on the week and handed out six or more assists in three-of-four games.
Faried helped the Nuggets to a 4-0 week, posting three point-rebound double-doubles in the process. Faried averaged 16.8 points on .563 shooting from the field to go alongside 12.8 rebounds (second in the conference to Memphis’ Zach Randolph’s 14.3 rpg), 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steals. Faried tallied 18 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks and two steals during a 107-101 victory at Golden State to close the week.

DeRozan the Key To Toronto’s Rise

One of the primary reasons why the Raptors are expected to be in the playoff mix once they get healthy is the anticipated emergence of DeMar DeRozan, who just inked a contract extension that will keep him in Toronto for the foreseeable future.
“Yeah, it is [nice to get the extension]; it definitely is,” DeRozan tells HOOPSWORLD. “It’s where I started and it’s where I want to end at the end of the day, so I’m just going to go out and lay everything on the line every time I’m on the floor.”
Not only is DeRozan committed to being the best player he can be on the court, he is also committed to making Toronto an attractive destination for free agents who are looking for a winning situation.
“That’s my whole goal is to change that around, show guys that it’s fine to play here and once everything gets rolling our way, it’ll be well worth it,” says DeRozan. “I’m very confident once we give the city what they’re expecting, it’ll be well worth it playing in Canada. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”