The Houston Rockets are in a transition stage right now after the firing of erstwhile head coach Kevin McHale recently. In his place is assistant J.B. Bickerstaff who is serving on an interim basis and reportedly for the rest of the season.

If Bickerstaff proves to be effective, he may get a chance to be the team's new head coach. But that may not happen anytime soon since the first order of business is for the Rockets to get back on track and regain lost ground.

With that said, there is still no certainty on Bickerstaff's tenure as well so with that in mind, it may be best to consider the Rockets other options as far as ably filling the head coaching position is concerned.

There are several good head coaches out there who were recently fired as well. Among the familiar names include Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Scott Brook among others, all of whom have proven track records.

But if the Rockets hold true on their word that they will wait until the end of the season to re-evaluate their coaches, a new coach may only be put in the mix by 2016.

Thibodeau seems to be a wise choice, seeing how he proved himself with the Chicago Bulls despite the issues he had with management. He is known as a good defensive coach and such could be something the team may need.

His offensive sets have been put into question but with lots of scoring options, he could probably get help from competent assistants in that department. He was a success with the Bulls so why not the Rockets? In fact, Dwight Howard could be up for a resurrection seeing that the 6-foot-10-inch center has been dwindling the past years.

Regardless and of all the candidates, Thibodeau is someone who could make a difference for the Rockets if they opt to look for a proven and tested coach. But all that could be settled only by next season, unless management presses the panic button (inadvertently) once again.