Tag: Stephen Silas

NBA to begin 2020-21 season with Dec. 1 training camps, Dec. 22 opener

The Houston Rockets and other NBA teams are now less than a month away from starting training camp for the 2020-21 season.

The Houston Rockets are now less than a month away from kicking off training camp for the 2020-21 NBA season.

As first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) approved the NBA’s proposal to begin next season on Dec. 21. Due to the delayed start, the regular season will consist of 72 games, which is 10 shorter than the usual slate.

Training camps will start on Dec. 1, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

It’s a much shorter break between seasons than most years, since the 2020 NBA Finals didn’t conclude until October (thanks to the 2019-20 campaign’s multi-month hiatus from the COVID-19 pandemic). But the league has numerous financial incentives to begin the process of moving back closer to its traditional calendar, which features a regular season starting in the fall and the NBA Finals concluding in June.

For the Rockets, who played until mid-September, that December start date certainly makes for a rapid turnaround. However, given the league’s extensive time off from early March until early July, it’s worth noting that players didn’t enter the current offseason with anywhere near the usual mileage on their bodies (in terms of consecutive months played).

The NBA’s plan is to play its 2020-21 games with fans and in its traditional home markets and arenas, as opposed to the “bubble” format utilized to finish last season at Disney World near Orlando. However, it is not yet clear what capacity levels will be permissible for fans at NBA arenas. In this fall’s football season, the NFL’s Houston Texans are allowing approximately 20% of usual capacity at their home games.

The NBA will hold its annual player draft on Nov. 18, with free agency to begin shortly thereafter. (The official date has yet to be finalized.) Then, on Dec. 1, training camps will open for teams throughout the league, including at Toyota Center in downtown Houston.

With an All-Star duo of James Harden and Russell Westbrook returning, the Rockets are again expected to be a playoff team and potential title contender out of the perennially strong Western Conference. They will, however, be led by new management, as Stephen Silas and Rafael Stone are replacing former head coach Mike D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey. Next on the team’s offseason agenda is potentially upgrading its roster, with relatively aggressive spending a possibility as Houston looks to improve upon its No. 4 West finish (and second-round playoff exit) from 2020.

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Rockets execs laud preparation of new coach Stephen Silas

“Stephen was the most prepared guy that we talked to,” Stone said of Silas. “And we talked to really smart and qualified guys.”

With approximately 20 years in the assistant ranks, including the last two working for Rick Carlisle in Dallas, Stephen Silas was certainly qualified to step into the role of head coach with the Houston Rockets.

Last season, with Silas largely overseeing the offense, the Mavericks graded out statistically as the most efficient offense in NBA history.

Furthermore, his status as the son of former NBA head coach Paul Silas — who ranks in the league’s top 50 in all-time coaching wins — gives him even more experience than his strong résumé might first suggest.

But if there were any lingering doubts about the first-time head coach, he answered them in Houston’s lengthy interviewing process.

After previous coach Mike D’Antoni informed the team of his departure on Sept. 13, the Rockets waited more than six weeks before naming his replacement. Their interview list was extensive, and included several names with prior experience as a head coach (which Silas lacks). But ultimately, it was the 47-year-old Silas who continued to stand out.

At Thursday’s press conference to introduce Silas and new GM Rafael Stone, the Rockets were asked what stood out about their new coach in the interviewing process. Here’s how they responded:

CEO Tad Brown: Stephen Silas, our new head coach, is someone who came in and blew us away in the interview process. He’s one of the true bright young minds in the NBA. He’s going to do great things with us. He’s much older than he looks [laughs].

GM Rafael Stone: Stephen was the most prepared guy that we talked to. That’s not meant to be negative toward anyone else. We talked to some really smart, qualified guys. But Stephen’s level of preparedness, and his ability to have thought through every single thing we threw at him.

And then just his unique mind. Some of his answers were really, really interesting. Things that aren’t necessarily intuitive, and made all of us think, ‘Huh. That’s a different way of doing it. Let’s think about it, that could be really interesting. That combination was really, really cool. At the end of the day, he was very clearly the best fit for us. We’re feeling incredibly lucky that we found him.

In addition to his vast experience as an assistant, Silas is well regarded for his work with star perimeter players such as Luka Doncic in Dallas, Kemba Walker in Charlotte, Steph Curry in Golden State, and LeBron James in Cleveland. Houston is hoping for that to pay off with James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and Silas says he’s preparing to make the Rockets more diverse in their schemes on both offense and defense.

Thursday’s complete press conference can be watched below.

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Stephen Silas wants ‘experience, diversity of thought’ in assistants

“You don’t want everyone nodding their head as you’re going through things,” Silas said. “You want to talk, you want to figure things out.”

New Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas wants “experience” and “diversity of thought” as he helps select his assistant coaches.

One of those assistants is former NBA head coach John Lucas, who was director of player development under prior coach Mike D’Antoni and is now stepping into an elevated role on Silas’ staff. Beyond Lucas, though, Silas says there are clear priorities in filling out his coaching bench.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the team’s list of potential assistant coaches starts with former Phoenix and New York head coach Jeff Hornacek. Other names include Jazz assistant DeSagana Diop, Magic assistant Rick Higgins, and former 76ers and Nets assistant Will Weaver, with additional candidates also in consideration.

In response to a question from Rockets Wire at Thursday’s introducatory press conference, here’s how Silas described the process:

Rafael [Stone] and I have been talking about this every day since I got hired. We’re being very collaborative. That was one of the things in my interview that I expressed that I wanted to be really collaborative on most everything, but especially the staff part.

Getting Lucas is a home run for me. As far as the other guys, I’m looking for people with experience. As a first-time head coach, even though I did have experience coaching for a month-and-a-half while Steve Clifford [in Charlotte] got sick, forming my own staff is new for me. Having experienced, former head coaches on my staff [is a priority]. Lucas is already a former head coach, possibly having one or two more former head coaches.

Having diversity of thought is very important to me. Because as you’re in your coaches meetings, you don’t want everyone nodding their head as you’re going through things. You want to talk, you want to figure things out, so that we can come out of the room with the best plan for the players. We’ll have a few young guys, a former head coach for sure, and build it out from there. The experience part is very important to me, because I know as an experienced assistant coach how important it is.

While Silas has worked in the NBA in various capacities for more than 20 years, his most recent coaching job came as the top assistant to Rick Carlisle in Dallas over the last two seasons. Last season, Silas’ Mavericks had the most efficient offense in NBA history, statistically.

With the help of quality assistants (starting with Lucas), that’s the type of play that Silas is hoping to bring to Houston. Thursday’s full press conference with Silas and GM Rafael Stone can be viewed below.

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Stephen Silas, Rafael Stone want Rockets to be less predictable

The Rockets were known in recent years for an isolation-heavy offense and smaller lineups, but the new coach and GM want more diversity.

At a Thursday press conference to introduce new head coach Stephen Silas and new GM Rafael Stone, both men expressed a desire to make the Houston Rockets “less predictable” in their playing style next season.

In recent years, the Rockets have become known around the NBA for their “small ball” lineups, which often featured a heavy dose of isolation play on offense (especially for All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook) and constant switching on defense.

But as they begin preparations for the 2020-21 season, it sounds as if these Rockets are prioritizing a more diverse approach than what was seen in the final months of former coach Mike D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey. Here’s a few of the standout quotes from Thursday’s media event:

Silas: In today’s NBA, you cannot play one way. Small ball can be a part of it. On the offensive end, we want to be a little less predictable. On the defensive end, the same thing. Playing against teams that have different ways of defending is tough. I want to be that team.

What I will do [on offense] is try to make it easier. Put in a few little actions and be a little more versatile on the offensive end to let those guys play to their strengths. Not so much stand around with iso.

Defensively, we’re going to have to improve. It’s going to take a little more structure and a little more discipline.

At one point, Silas advocated for having the option to use “a traditional big man.” In his capacity as GM and the roster’s lead architect, Stone seemingly agreed with his new coach’s assessment.

“I would anticipate we’ll provide Stephen with a little more optionality to go big or go small,” Stone said of Houston’s roster for next season. “One of the things that Stephen and I have talked about a lot is the ability to throw different things at different teams. … We aren’t going into this offseason saying we don’t want anyone over 6-foot-7.”

The complete press conference can be viewed below.

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John Lucas nears coaching deal with Rockets; Nate McMillan off board

Lucas will likely be an assistant to new head coach Stephen Silas. But Nate McMillan, who was also a top candidate, is headed to Atlanta.

The Houston Rockets are close to reaching an agreement with John Lucas to be an assistant on the staff of new coach Stephen Silas, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Since 2016, Lucas has worked with the Rockets as the director of player development for previous head coach Mike D’Antoni. The 66-year-old veteran coach was reportedly one of three finalists in Houston’s recent search for the lead job, alongside Silas and Jeff Van Gundy.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Lucas was a head coach with San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Cleveland. His age and extensive experience could be a good fit with the 47-year-old Silas, who is becoming an NBA head coach for the first time. Lucas also has existing relationships with current Houston players like All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook, which is part of why he was a finalist for the main job.

Besides Lucas, other names reportedly in consideration for Silas’ staff had included former NBA head coaches Jeff Hornacek and Nate McMillan. However, Marc Stein of The New York Times reported Wednesday that McMillan was nearing an agreement with Atlanta, instead.

There is no clear timetable for Silas’ complete staff to be named.

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Harden reportedly gave top coaching endorsements to Ty Lue, John Lucas

Marc Stein: “Houston didn’t hire either of the candidates Harden endorsed the strongest to replace D’Antoni: Tyronn Lue and John Lucas,”

Per Marc Stein of The New York Times, Rockets superstar James Harden gave his “strongest endorsements” in the team’s recent head coaching search to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and Houston assistant John Lucas.

As it turned out, of course, Dallas assistant Stephen Silas eventually got the job. Accordingly, Stein reported Tuesday that other NBA teams are wondering “how perturbed Harden is” by that development.

“Houston didn’t hire either of the candidates Harden endorsed the strongest to replace Mike D’Antoni: Tyronn Lue and John Lucas,” Stein writes in his latest newsletter, which was published Tuesday afternoon.

It’s worth noting that the Rockets probably never had a realistic chance at Lue. Though he did interview in Houston for the job, he took the job in Los Angeles only days later. Lue was already familiar with the Clippers, having been the top assistant last season to Doc Rivers. It’s also the league’s second-largest market with one of its most talented rosters, all with one of the NBA’s richest owners (Steve Ballmer) funding the team and in a city where he already lived. Lue staying in Los Angeles was and is understandable, and it was probably his choice, rather than Houston’s.

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Lucas, on the other hand, was available to the Rockets at the time of their decision to hire Silas. However, it’s plausible (if not likely) that Harden’s initial preference was largely based on the fact that he already had a relationship with Lucas, who was D’Antoni’s director of player development since 2016. If that’s the case, it would seem that further conversations with Silas might have since bridged that gap.

It was reported that the Rockets would confer with their players about the coaching finalists before making a decision, so it’s hard to imagine that they would make a hire if Harden wasn’t on board with it.

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Historically, Silas has reportedly had strong relationships with the NBA stars that he’s coached, which would seem to offer hope that he and Harden will hit it off — if given time to get to know each other. It’s also worth noting that Silas is said to be “working hard” to keep Lucas on the staff, reportedly in a more prominent coaching role on the bench.

Per Stein, new GM Rafael Stone is the “biggest backer in the organization” of Lucas, which could further boost the odds of a deal getting done. Should the 66-year-old stick around, and especially if it’s in a bigger role as an assistant, that would likely be viewed favorably by Harden.

In Tuesday’s newsletter, Stein says that rival teams are wondering how long it might be until the Rockets seriously entertain trading Harden. But Stein, as is the case with many other national NBA reporters, says the Rockets “are adamant that Harden will not be shopped.” Now 31 years old, he is under contract in Houston for at least two more seasons.

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Report: Stephen Silas working hard to keep John Lucas with Rockets

Per Mark Berman, Lucas would have a higher role on Silas’ coaching staff than when he was director of player development for Mike D’Antoni.

New Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas is “working hard” to retain John Lucas on his staff, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston.

Since 2016, Lucas has worked with the Rockets as the director of player development for previous head coach Mike D’Antoni.

But according to Berman, Lucas could have a bigger role as an assistant for Silas. Lucas was reportedly one of three finalists in Houston’s recent search for the lead job, alongside Silas and Jeff Van Gundy.

Now 66 years old, Lucas was previously a head coach with San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Cleveland in the 1990s and early 2000s. His age and experience could be a good fit with the 47-year-old Silas, who is becoming an NBA head coach for the first time. Lucas also has existing relationships with current players like All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook, which is part of why he was a finalist for the main job.

Last week, Lucas congratulated Silas via Twitter on becoming head coach of the Rockets, which appeared to indicate that there were no hard feelings in regards to his personal bid coming up short. If that’s the case, it could further boost the odds of a potential partnership.

Other names believed to be in consideration for Silas’ staff of assistants include former NBA head coaches Jeff Hornacek and Nate McMillan. As of Monday night, there was no clear timetable for potential hires.

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Why star NBA players reportedly like playing for Stephen Silas

“The star guys he’s worked with have really liked playing for him and working with him,” Houston beat writer Jonathan Feigen said of Silas.

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For the Houston Rockets, among the many perks to new head coach Stephen Silas are the working relationships that he has often built throughout his NBA coaching career with superstar players.

Now 47 years old, Silas is becoming a head coach for the first time in Houston. But during approximately 20 years in the assistant ranks, he’s worked with Luka Doncic in Dallas; Kemba Walker in Charlotte; LeBron James in Cleveland; and Steph Curry in Golden State.

According to veteran beat writer Jonathan Feigen, who writes for the Houston Chronicle, the relationships that Silas has built with those types of players were seen as a major plus to his candidacy.

In Sunday’s Texas Sports Nation television show, Feigen compared Silas’ personality and demeanor to that of Brad Stevens, who is extremely well regarded for his work with the Boston Celtics. Feigen explains:

From just a tactical basketball standpoint, the job he’s done offensively throughout his career, and most notably with the Mavericks last year, where they had the best offensive rating in NBA history, jumps out at you.

But the thing that people talk about, when they talk about him, and this has been true for a long time, he’s a really smart guy. He comes off as the Ivy Leaguer that he is, unpretentious about it, it just comes through, in that his coaching style is very much a low-key, even-keel demeanor.

His father, Paul Silas, long-time coach, great rebounder in the NBA, All-Star, much more fiery style. He’s going to be more of the Brad Stevens type, where he talks straight with the guys, he brings them in, and guys like playing for him.

And they always have. Superstars have. Curry, LeBron James, Kemba Walker, Luka Doncic. The star guys he’s worked with have really liked playing for him and working with him. And a lot of that comes from that personal style. Very low-key, even-keel demeanor.

Silas worked the past two seasons as the top assistant to Rick Carlisle in Dallas, where the 2019-20 Mavs had the most efficient offense in NBA history, statistically. Between that and the rapid ascension of Doncic in the league’s superstar ranks, it was no surprise to see Luka praising Silas’ hire by the Rockets. “Well deserved,” Doncic tweeted.

Now, the Rockets are hopeful that Silas can work similarly well with All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook in Houston.

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Stephen Silas didn’t expect to land job as Rockets’ head coach

“He said he wasn’t going to get this job,” Paul Silas told the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen. “I told him it was going to happen.”

Stephen Silas didn’t expect to land his new position as head coach of the Houston Rockets, according to his father, Paul Silas.

In an interview with Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen, the elder Silas — who is one of the 50 winningest coaches in NBA history —shared more of his perspective regarding his son’s big moment.

Per Feigen, here’s what Paul Silas said:

He said he wasn’t going to get this job. I told him it was going to happen. I knew it was going to happen for him. They wanted to get him. He said, ‘I don’t think it’s going to happen, Dad.’ I said, ‘It is.’ And it did. I’m just happy as heck.

I thought it would happen because I had him as [an assistant] coach and he was doing a great job. I just knew it was going to happen. He did a great job, I tell you. He really did. And he’ll do a great job now.

His skepticism was understandable, since Silas nearly landed the Houston job in 2016 before losing out to Mike D’Antoni late in the process.

Silas landed his first NBA job in 1999 as a Charlotte scout, when his father was the head coach. He then joined Paul’s staff at age 27, becoming the NBA’s youngest assistant, and he has since worked in the NBA for the past 20 years. Now 47 years old, this is his first job as a head coach.

The Rockets made Silas’ hire official on Friday. A press conference is expected to follow at some point this week.

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Former NBA coach Paul Silas reacts as Rockets hire his son, Stephen

“He’s gonna be good,” the elder Silas told Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. “Man oh man, he’s got a good job. It’s wonderful.”

With 387 career victories, veteran NBA coach Paul Silas is currently in the Top 50 of all-time coaching wins. But he probably wouldn’t mind it if his son, Stephen, eventually makes a run at passing him on that list.

The elder Silas, who worked as head coach with the San Diego Clippers, Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Charlotte Bobcats, was understandably overjoyed on Friday at the news of his son officially receiving the head job with the Houston Rockets.

In an exclusive interview with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, here’s what Paul Silas said regarding the hire by the Rockets:

He’s gonna be good. Man oh man, he’s got a good job. It’s wonderful. I talked to him last week and I said ‘Stephen, this is gonna happen. I know it’s gonna happen.’ And it did. He said, ‘Dad, you were right.’ I’m so happy for him.

He is a special coach. He was with me for a long time [as an assistant]. Stephen has paid his dues. He’s been doing a heck of a job, and I’m so happy. When he starts working, I told him I’m gonna go down there and see what he’s doing.

The official announcement by the Rockets can be read here. After working approximately 20 years in the NBA’s assistant ranks, this represents the first job as a full-time head coach for the younger Silas.

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