Report: Rockets hiring Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas as head coach
The Houston Rockets are hiring Dallas Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas as their new head coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Silas replaces Mike D’Antoni, who stepped down in September after four seasons as the Rockets head coach.
The addition of Silas is the latest move in an offseason management makeover in Houston after the Rockets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs. Longtime general manager Daryl Morey also stepped down and was replaced by executive vice president of basketball operations Rafael Stone.
Silas’ coaching background
Silas, 47, has spent 20 seasons on NBA sidelines as an assistant or associate head coach. He got his NBA coaching start in 2000 as a Charlotte Hornets assistant alongside his father and veteran NBA coach Paul Silas.
He has since coached for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and returned to Charlotte before spending the last two seasons as an assistant for Rick Carlisle in Dallas. This is his first head coaching job in the NBA.
Can Silas lead Rockets to next step?
Wojnarowski reports that Silas’ pedigree of working for his father, Carlisle and Steve Clifford in Charlotte played a role in Houston’s decision to hire him.
Silas steps into a high-profile job coaching a team featuring a pair of former league MVP guards in James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Expectations are high in Houston, but competition remains stiff in the Western Conference that the Rockets have failed to win during the Harden era.
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