Kevin McHale agreed to terms with the Houston Rockets Monday night to become the team's next head coach. He will sign a three-year contract with a team option for the fourth season, and expects to be introduced Friday at a news conference in Houston.

The deal to return to the NBA sidelines after a two-year absence -- McHale went 20-43 over the final 4 ½ months of the 2008-09 season after replacing Randy Wittman -- had been reported for several days. Even Rockets guard Kevin Martin was quoted, essentially confirming that McHale had been chosen for the job over Dallas assistant Dwane Casey and Boston assistant Lawrence Frank.

But McHale, 53, said those reports were premature, since the terms weren't finalized until late Monday evening. "It would have been hard for [Martin] to [confirm], since I didn't even know until last night," McHale told NBA.com.