Stephen

Silas

Newly hired Pistons coach Monty Williams isn’t wasting any time filling out his coaching staff. Monty is bringing on Silas who was let go as head coach of the Rockets in April after compiling a 59-177 record in three seasons. Previously Silas had been a top assistant on multiple teams including Dallas and Golden State.

Silas spent three seasons as Houston’s head coach, including the final games of James Harden’s tenure with the Rockets. He finished his term as their head coach with a win in Washington, which gives him a 59-177 record overall. It was a rebuilding phase, and he wasn’t dealt the best hand with Harden demanding a trade in his first season. The Rockets will look for a new leader at the helm for Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Tari Eason and two first round picks.

Hopefully Silas heals quickly and this isn’t a theme for the start of the season. It could end up being a false positive, in which case he’d be back at practice after two negative tests. Or it may be 10 days before we see him again. It all depends on his vaccination status.

Silas is receiving treatment in the Rockets locker room, with the hope being that he’ll return to the sideline at some point tonight. For the time being, veteran assistant John Lucas has taken over as the acting head coach.

Houston snapped a 15-game losing streak vs. Chicago on Wednesday by going small, so it stands to reason that Silas would stick with that approach. “I think I can settle in for at least three games and see what it looks like,” Silas said on Friday. This likely means that Daniel Theis is out of the rotation and Alperen Sengun will remain the backup five. Danuel House got hot vs. the Bulls and could be a fill-in starter until Jalen Green (hamstring) returns, but we should know more after shootaround on Saturday.

Silas has been an assistant coach under Rick Carlisle in Dallas, but he’s received a number of head coaching interviews in recent years, and now he finally gets the gig - beating out Jeff Van Gundy and John Lucas. Houston management was reportedly sold on Silas’ offensive ingenuity, and it’ll be fun to see what he does with James Harden and Russell Westbrook, given the work we’ve seen him do with Luka Doncic and Kemba Walker. He might also request that management signs someone taller than 6-foot-7 to man the center-spot.

While his name hasn’t been mentioned as regularly as those of Jeff Van Gundy and John Lucas in connection with the Rockets job, it appears quite clear that Silas has made a positive impression on the franchise’s decision-makers. Both he and Van Gundy reportedly met with Rockets decision-makers for the second time on Friday. There’s no reported timeline for a decision, but both are firmly in the mix. Silas was also a candidate for the Hawks head coaching vacancy in the spring of 2018, but Lloyd Pierce was the choice in Atlanta.

He’s arguably a top-three coaching candidate right now and is just behind Mike D’Antoni for the Rockets job. Silas would move to Luke Walton’s position and could learn a different approach from what coach Steve Clifford did in Charlotte. If Silas doesn’t wind up in Houston, it may make sense for him to head to the Bay Area.

He will be interviewing for Golden State’s top assistant’s job, a spot that is currently held by Luke Walton. Silas is also still in the running to be the next head coach of the Rockets, and he also has another interview scheduled with Portland, so he appears to be a hot commodity around the NBA at the moment.

Silas is currently an assistant coach for the Hornets and is the son of Paul Silas. Adrian Wojnarowksi of The Vertical is also reporting that Silas “crushed” his interview with the Rockets, so even though Mike D’Antoni is still considered the favorite, it sounds like this race isn’t over. If Silas does get the job, Lionel Hollins will be his assistant coach.