Rockets likely to consider Stephen Silas, Kenny Atkinson, Wes Unseld

Silas, Atkinson, and Unseld could join a search that is believed to already include Doc Rivers, Ty Lue, Jeff Van Gundy, and Sam Cassell.

The Houston Rockets are expected to check in with former NBA head coach Kenny Atkinson and current assistants Stephen Silas and Wes Unseld Jr. as part of the ongoing search to replace Mike D’Antoni.

The initial list also includes well-reported targets such as Doc Rivers, Tyronn Lue, Jeff Van Gundy, and possibly Sam Cassell, according to a Monday night report by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Unseld has served as an assistant coach since 2005, and he’s been with the Denver Nuggets from 2015 onward. Now 44 years old, Unseld Jr. was considered a key contributor to Denver’s success in the 2019-20 season — which culminated in a Western Conference Finals berth.

Unseld Jr. brings significant NBA pedigree, since his late father (Wes Unseld) was an NBA player, coach, and front office executive.

As for Atkinson and Silas, here’s what we wrote about them in our initial coaching hot board for the 2020 Rockets search.

Kenny Atkinson

Pros: The former Brooklyn head coach was listed as a potential candidate by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, and he has experience with Houston as the Rockets’ director of player development during the first season of Morey’s tenure. The 53-year-old is very analytics-minded, with a history of playing fast-paced, smaller lineups.

Cons: While Atkinson took over a disastrous situation with the Nets and clearly improved it, he only had one winning season in four years, and that was at just 42-40. He hasn’t had proven success in the playoffs, and the Rockets are clearly in a win-now mode. Is he ready to go from a rebuilding situation, where expectations were fairly minimal, to the immediate pressure of a contender? There’s also no known connection between Atkinson and either James Harden or Russell Westbrook.

Stephen Silas

Pros: The Dallas assistant was a surprising finalist for the Rockets job in 2016 before it went to D’Antoni, which suggests that he interviewed very well with Morey and the front office. His Mavs just finished up a season in which they had (statistically) the most efficient offense in NBA history. At 47 years old, he’s among the youngest of the popular options and could conceivably be around for a long time.

Cons: As with Chris Finch, he hasn’t previously been an NBA head coach. Is this the time for the Rockets to take that risk?

While Silas was a serious candidate when the Houston job was last available in 2016, there were different circumstances at that time. Harden was just 27 years old, and the Rockets were coming off a 41-41 season. To some extent, it was a rebuilding (or at least retooling) situation back then. That is not the case now. There also doesn’t seem to be much history between Silas and either Harden or Westbrook.

There’s no clear timetable for the next step of Houston’s 2020 search. However, with six jobs now currently vacated (Rockets, 76ers, Pacers, Thunder, Pelicans, and Clippers), there could be pressure to move more quickly based on potential competition from other suitors.

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