Former James Harden teammate cites his displeasure at 2015 benching as reason for Rockets coach getting fired
Josh Smith claimed that the decision to bench James Harden in the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals resulted in the Houston Rockets parting ways with then-coach Kevin McHale.
In a 2020 interview with Uninterrupted, Smith, who played for the Rockets for two seasons, expressed his belief that even though McHale's decision to bench Harden was successful, it ultimately contributed to his dismissal.
“James really not playing the best like we know he can, but it’s up to us to help him … So [McHale] made the sub. It was like me, Brewer, Trevor Ariza, Jason Terry and Dwight…They benched James,” Smith said.
“That’s why he probably got fired. I honestly believe that,” he added.
The Rockets found themselves down by 19 points in the third quarter in that away game, which they trimmed to 12 points with less than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Harden, despite scoring the highest on the team with 23 points, struggled with his shooting, making only 25% of his attempts (5-of-20).
Harden was benched, and the unit of reserves led by Smith and Brewer caught fire in the fourth quarter.
The Clippers lost their lead in the fourth quarter, being outscored 40-15. Brewer and Smith were instrumental in this turnaround, contributing a combined 29 points in that crucial period. Overall, Brewer and Smith tallied 19 points each.
The win completed the Rockets’ comeback from a 3-1 series deficit and propelled them to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 18 years.
McHale coached Harden in Houston from 2012 to 2015 before being dismissed just 11 games into the 2015-16 season. At that point, the Rockets had a 4-7 record.
James Harden shows up to the next camp ‘fat’
According to McHale, he believed that Houston's slow start in the 2015-16 season was influenced by James Harden deliberately underperforming, claiming that the superstar even reported to camp "fat."
McHale said Harden's resentment towards him began after being benched in the Western Conference semifinals, even though the move proved successful as the Rockets won both Game 6 and Game 7.
However, according to McHale, James Harden never let it go and reported to training camp in subpar condition and displayed minimal effort.
“The next year he came to camp, he was fat and didn’t feel like playing, and I got fired (11) games into the season,” McHale told Heavy.com.
McHale amassed a 193-130 record as the Rockets' coach. He has not been given another coaching opportunity since he was fired.