The Houston Rockets decided to end ties with coach Kevin McHale on Wednesday after starting the season with a 4-7 record. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports first reported the firing.

McHale helped the Rockets advance to the Western Conference Finals last season against eventual champions Golden State Warriors, but Houston failed to impress in their first 11 games this season.

The Rockets absorbed four consecutive lopsided defeats, including a 111-95 loss to the Boston Celtics, despite having a star-studded roster led by James Harden, Dwight Howard and Ty Lawson, who was acquired in a deal with the Denver Nuggets during the offseason.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said that the Rockets decided to make the move because the players were not responding to him anymore. "The team was not responding to Kevin," Morey said via ESPN. "There is no time in the West."

The Rockets have not scored more than 100 points during their four-game losing streak and were clearly in disarray. Recent reports indicated that a players-only meeting was held on Tuesday morning.

It is not clear whether or not the players made moves that led to McHale's firing, but the veteran coach said that they were already addressing the issues before the decision to fire him was made.

"We were starting to address some of the issues that were the reason I was let go," McHale told Houston Chronicle. "We just weren't playing with any juice, with any rhythm. We haven't been able to get the problems solved. We probably had more meetings in last six weeks than in my previous four years here. It wasn't working."

The decision surprised most NBA personalities and players, including Hall of Famer Magic Johnson and Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons.

Johnson said on Twitter that the Rockets made a mistake in letting McHale go.

Parsons, who played for McHale for three seasons before moving to Dallas last season, did not hide his disappointment and gave credit to his former coach.

Meanwhile, the Rockets named assistant coach JB Bickerstaff as interim head coach, while Chris Finch will be the new associate head coach. Wojnarowski revealed that the Rockets might look for a long-term replacement in the offseason.

According to the report, former Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau and veteran bench tactician Jeff Van Gundy could get a call from the Rockets, while current Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford will also be a strong candidate if he becomes a free agent after the 2015-16 NBA season.