Tag: Stephen Silas

Report: Rockets lost coaching options due to Daryl Morey’s exit

Brian Windhorst: “When Daryl Morey decided to resign, there were candidates who decided they didn’t want to be in the process anymore.”

Per GM Daryl Morey and owner Tilman Fertitta, the Houston Rockets let candidates know during their interviewing process for a head coach that Morey would not be returning after 14 seasons with the team.

That unexpected development may have led to some coaches becoming less interested in the job, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Via ESPN’s The Jump, here’s what Windhorst said Wednesday:

When Daryl Morey decided to resign, there were candidates who decided they didn’t want to be in the process anymore. And that’s okay. But it narrowed their candidate pool.

Many people in the league think that John Lucas, the longtime assistant there who hasn’t been a head coach in the league in 18 years, has a chance here. Part of that is his relationship with the players, and his relationship with Rafael Stone, who was just named general manager. While there are other candidates, including [Dallas assistant] Stephen Silas, I would say today that my guess is, it’s going to be John Lucas.

Windhorst did not identify which candidates decided not to remain involved in Houston’s search to replace Mike D’Antoni.

Besides Lucas and Silas, other candidates known to have interviewed with the Rockets include current Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue; former Brooklyn head coach Kenny Atkinson; Denver assistant Wes Unseld Jr.; Minnesota assistant David Vanterpool; and former head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who led both the Rockets and New York Knicks.

There is still no definitive timetable for a hire to be made.

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Report: Rockets to confer with players about coaching finalists

The Rockets are conferring with players regarding their apparent finalists for head coach, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston.

The Houston Rockets are conferring with players regarding their apparent coaching finalists, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston.

The finalists are believed to be Jeff Van Gundy, who was Houston’s head coach from 2003-04 through 2006-07; Dallas Mavericks lead assistant Stephen Silas; and John Lucas, who was director of player development with the Rockets for the last four seasons under Mike D’Antoni.

Now 66 years old, Lucas was previously a head coach for three different NBA franchises in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“Sources said the next step for team officials is to consult with their players about their candidates,” Berman tweeted. The search is being led by new GM Rafael Stone, who is replacing Daryl Morey.

The consultation with players could be good news for Lucas, since Marc Stein of The New York Times has pointed to him as the preferred choice of All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

However, that initial preference could simply be based on familiarity, since Lucas already has existing relationships with the team based on his time under D’Antoni as an assistant. Presumably, the Rockets will also give other finalists (Van Gundy, Silas) an opportunity to speak with key players, and they might be able to convince the players of their merits.

The 58-year-old Van Gundy and 47-year-old Silas were each in Houston on Thursday and Friday, respectively, for a second day of interviews. It isn’t clear whether Lucas will get a second interview, but he may not need one — since the Rockets are already quite familiar with his work.

There is no definitive timetable for a hire to be made.

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Rockets’ coaching candidates knew of Daryl Morey’s impending exit

News of the GM’s departure came as a shock to many Rockets fans, but the coaching candidates were made aware throughout the process.

After 13 years as the lead basketball operations executive in Houston, Rockets GM Daryl Morey is stepping down. While the news shocked many fans, it doesn’t appear likely to affect the team’s coaching search.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, that’s because candidates were told of Morey’s plans throughout the process.

Feigen writes:

Though Morey did not make his decision to step down public until Thursday and has been involved in the interviews with candidates to succeed Mike D’Antoni as Rockets coach, each of the coaches had been informed throughout the process that Morey expected to leave the team at some point this offseason.

“We’ve been up front with all the coaching candidates we’ve talked to that there was a change coming,” Morey said. “I have been trying to be just an adviser at this point with Rafael [Stone] making the final decision and Tilman [Fertitta] making the final decision.”

The Rockets brought in veteran NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy for a second interview on Thursday, and they’re doing the same Friday with Dallas assistant Stephen Silas. Recent Rockets assistant John Lucas is also being strongly considered, according to Feigen’s report.

However, Feigen reports that the Rockets could potentially opt to interview additional candidates beyond those three names. Unofficially, this is the “second round” of interviews to replace Mike D’Antoni.

While Morey remains involved in an advisory role, the final decision will be made by new GM Rafael Stone and team ownership.

There is still no definitive timetable for a hire to be made.

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Rockets to hold second interview with Stephen Silas on Friday

Stephen Silas will become the second head coaching candidate to interview with the Rockets for a second time, joining Jeff Van Gundy.

Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Stephen Silas will travel to Houston on Friday for a second interview with the Rockets regarding their head coaching vacancy, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Silas was also a finalist for the Houston job in 2016 before it was given to Mike D’Antoni. The 47-year-old is extremely well regarded for his personality and work ethic, and his Mavs just finished up a season in which they had (statistically) the most efficient offense in NBA history.

Silas also has quality experience the last two seasons from working with Rick Carlisle, long regarded as one of the NBA’s top tactical coaches. As the son of longtime NBA coach Paul Silas, he’s essentially an NBA lifer.

Here’s a rundown of Silas’ coaching career to date:

1999–2000 Charlotte Hornets (scout)
2000–2002 Charlotte Hornets (assistant)
2002–2003 New Orleans Hornets (assistant)
2003–2005 Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
2005–2006 Washington Wizards (scout)
2006–2010 Golden State Warriors (assistant)
2010–2018 Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (assistant)
2018–present Dallas Mavericks (assistant)

GM Daryl Morey, who reportedly liked Silas in 2016, is leaving the Rockets as of Nov. 1. However, he is staying on to assist with the final stages of the coaching search, and his replacement (Rafael Stone) is an internal promotion who was also heavily involved in the 2016 search.

At 47, Silas is the youngest of the three candidates believed to be in Houston’s list of finalists. The others are 58-year-old Jeff Van Gundy and 66-year-old John Lucas. So if the Rockets eventually need to rebuild in the coming years, Silas might be the best long-term bet.

There is no definitive timetable for when Houston’s hire will be made. For now, Silas joins Van Gundy as the only candidates to interview twice.

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Jeff Van Gundy, Stephen Silas, John Lucas are Rockets’ finalists

With Ty Lue staying with the Clippers, it’s Van Gundy, Silas, and Lucas who are now finalists in Houston’s search for a head coach.

As many expected, Tyronn Lue is replacing Doc Rivers as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. While Lue interviewed in Houston earlier this week, he was a top assistant with the Clippers last season and was already quite familiar with the organization and its key players.

With Lue off the board, the Rockets are believed to have a list of three top candidates to fill their head coaching vacancy. Per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the finalists are former Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy; Dallas assistant Stephen Silas; and recent Rockets assistant John Lucas.

Lucas also has prior head coaching experience with three different NBA franchises. However, all of those stints came in 2003 and earlier.

Van Gundy is clearly the biggest name of the three, and that could be especially important in the aftermath of the unexpected departure of veteran GM Daryl Morey. Van Gundy interviewed with the Rockets on Wednesday, and those talks reportedly extended into Thursday.

Now 58 years old, Van Gundy hasn’t coached in the NBA since his previous stint leading the Rockets from 2003-04 through 2006-07. He has, however, worked as a coach for USA Basketball since 2017.

Known best for his emphasis on defense and toughness, “JVG” has a career coaching record of 430-318 (.575) over parts of 11 seasons as head coach in New York and Houston. Van Gundy is 44-44 (.500) in the playoffs, including a trip to the 1999 NBA Finals with the Knicks.

Since his NBA coaching days, Van Gundy has also served as one of the league’s top television analysts for broadcasts on ABC and ESPN. Away from basketball, he’s shown a clear affinity for Houston as a city, having chosen to live there even after losing his job with the Rockets.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets had planned to bring back both Van Gundy and Lue for second interviews. Feigen did not report that Silas or Lucas would be receiving a second interview, which — when combined with Lue’s decision to stay with Los Angeles — would seem to point to Van Gundy as the current frontrunner.

Morey is staying on a short-term advisor to assist in the finalization of the coaching search. Rafael Stone, one of Morey’s top executives, will be promoted to his position as general manager.

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Rockets coaching interviews: Unseld, Silas, Atkinson now complete

David Vanterpool, Jeff Van Gundy, Tyronn Lue, and John Lucas are still on Houston’s list to be interviewed, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN.

According to Marc J. Spears of ESPN‘s The Undefeated, the Houston Rockets have already interviewed Denver assistant Wes Unseld Jr., Dallas assistant Stephen Silas, and former Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson as potential replacements for Mike D’Antoni as head coach.

Unseld has served as an assistant coach since 2005, and he’s been with the 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 immediately listed as a potential candidate by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, and he has prior experience with Houston as the Rockets’ director of player development during the first season of Daryl 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.

Other candidates to be interviewed in GM Daryl Morey‘s search will include recent Los Angeles Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue; Minnesota assistant David Vanterpool; former Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy; and current assistant John Lucas. There is no clear timetable for a hire.

If the Rockets desire an in-person interview with all candidates, Van Gundy would not be available until at least next week. That’s because he’s still residing at the league’s “bubble” in Florida, where he’s broadcasting the NBA Finals for ABC. The earliest the series could end is Friday night.

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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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Initial Houston Rockets coaching hot board for 2020-21 season

The Rockets don’t currently have a head coach under contract for the 2020-21 season. Led by Mike D’Antoni, here’s a list of seven options.

With the 2019-20 season now complete for the Houston Rockets, the franchise is at a unique spot. Between James Harden and Russell Westbrook, they have an All-Star backcourt of recent NBA MVPs — and at 31 years old, there’s a clear emphasis on winning now.

On the surface, they’ve certainly had their share of wins. The Rockets have the NBA’s longest current streak of eight straight playoff appearances, and they’re the only Western Conference team to have won at least one playoff series in each of the last four seasons.

Yet, they’ve also been eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for two straight years, suggesting that there’s a clear gap between the Rockets and the top tier of contenders. And given the ages of their star players, time is of the essence if GM Daryl Morey and owner Tilman Fertitta are going to steer the Rockets to an NBA title in this era.

At least some changes are probably necessary to get over the hump, but the problem is that it’s difficult (at least on paper) to envision a radical reconstruction of the roster. Houston has no salary cap room for the foreseeable future, and most of the team’s current rotation players are already under contract for multiple seasons moving forward.

The most notable position that isn’t under contract for the 2020-21 season and beyond is head coach. Mike D’Antoni‘s four-year contract is now up, and there’s no money committed to him beyond this seasoon — which makes for a clean financial breakup, if the team wants one.

Morey has spoken glowingly of D’Antoni in recent months, but he might feel compelled to gamble on the upside of a change, given the clear gap between the Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2020 playoffs. After all, it doesn’t seem that LeBron James or Anthony Davis are going anywhere for the time being.

Without a clear route to greatly improving the roster, the coaching situation might be Houston’s best shot at an upgrade. Keep in mind that in addition to lacking cap room, the Rockets are also short on future draft picks due to last offseason’s blockbuster trade of Chris Paul for Westbrook. For contenders who don’t have talented prospects to tempt other teams in trades, future picks are often the “sweetener” for deals.

Then again, given D’Antoni’s track record as the winningest coach (by win percentage) in franchise history and his clear rapport with the franchise, it would be silly to rule out a reunion. After Saturday’s series-ending loss, D’Antoni himself expressed an openness to returning:

We’ve got a great organization, great city, great fans, team’s great. I mean, everything’s good here. We’ll see what happens, but I couldn’t ask for a better situation. I had four years. Hopefully it keeps going, but you just never know. But everything is good on this side, for sure.

“It was fun. It’s still fun. You always hate to lose. It’s always a little bittersweet, but I couldn’t ask for better people to work with and better players to work with. A lot of things stand out, a lot of little things, but I had a great four years, for sure.

With a perennial MVP finalist (Harden) under contract for at least two more seasons, it should be viewed as an attractive job, with league-wide interest from a variety of candidates. The established status of Morey as one of the league’s best and most respected GMs should help, as well.

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The Rockets and D’Antoni could still choose to stay the course — but at least at the moment, the job is open and with no one under contract. Led by D’Antoni, let’s take a look at seven plausible candidates.

Mike D’Antoni 

Pros: He’s familiar with the players, and the current “micro-ball” roster and scheme is optimized for his skillset as a coach. He has a great relationship with the front office and with Harden, who says he wants D’Antoni back. Harden is one of the best offensive players in NBA history, and D’Antoni is regarded as one of the top all-time coaches on that end.

The 69-year-old has the top winning percentage in franchise history in the regular season, and No. 2 in the playoffs. Morey has said that he sees D’Antoni as one of the best coaches in NBA history.

Cons: The Rockets have been knocked out of the playoffs in the second round in back-to-back years, and with no salary cap room and most players already under contract for future seasons, their roster is hard to change. They might need to gamble on a coaching change to get over the hump. There also could be a financial angle, since the Rockets tried to extend D’Antoni in 2019 but couldn’t come to an agreement.

Jeff Van Gundy

Pros: He’s been rumored as a strong candidate for months, should the job open. Now 58 years old, Van Gundy still has a strong relationship with Morey, dating back to when Van Gundy coached the Rockets upon Morey’s 2006 arrival. He still lives in Houston, and has repeatedly praised Harden over the years. He’s worked with both Harden and Westbrook through USA Basketball. He took the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals.

Historically, Van Gundy is regarded as an excellent defensive coach, and the Rockets ranked No. 15 in the NBA on that end during the regular season. Previous owner Les Alexander pushed Van Gundy out after the 2006-07 season and preferred D’Antoni during the 2016 search, but Tilman Fertitta is now running the show in Houston.

Cons: What about offense? When Van Gundy was last an NBA head coach in 2007, his offenses were consistently among the slowest-paced and lowest-scoring in the league. That’s the complete opposite of the recent formula for these Rockets, though it is worth noting that Van Gundy’s philosophy on offense seems to have evolved over his years as an announcer. There’s also the question of whether he would want to leave his plush ABC analyst job for the stress and grind of coaching, and it might take a lot of money to bring him out of coaching retirement.

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 very analytics-minded, with a history of playing fast-paced, smaller lineups.

Cons: While he 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. There’s also no known connection between Atkinson and either Harden or Westbrook.

Chris Finch

Pros: The current New Orleans assistant coach has a strong working relationship with Morey, having been a Rockets assistant for five years and the head coach of the G League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He has an offensive background and profiles similarly to Nick Nurse, who has clearly elevated the Toronto Raptors after being hired in 2018. ESPN’s MacMahon listed the 50-year-old Finch as a candidate.

Cons: He hasn’t held an NBA head coaching job before. With a veteran-laden roster and a win-now emphasis, would Houston take the gamble?

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 Finch, he hasn’t previously been an NBA head coach. Is this the time for the Rockets to take that risk? There also doesn’t seem to be a clear link between Silas and either Harden or Westbrook.

Sam Cassell

Pros: The Los Angeles Clippers assistant has interviewed for the Houston job in the past. He has 11 years of experience as an assistant, and as a former player from Houston’s championship teams in 1994 and 1995, he’d be a very popular pick with the fan base. While he hasn’t been a head coach, the Clippers have repeatedly made the playoffs over his tenure, which has given him opportunities on the big stage.

He has worked for years under Doc Rivers, who is respected as one of the NBA’s best coaches. Rivers recently said that Cassell “should be a head coach, period,” pointing to his “incredibly high basketball IQ.”

Current Rockets guard Austin Rivers, who previously played for his father and Cassell with the Clippers, has praised Cassell’s work as a skills developer. At 50 years old, Cassell is relatively young as a candidate and should be able to relate very well to modern players.

Cons: As with Finch and Silas, he hasn’t previously been a head coach. Do the Rockets want a proven commodity? Also, going back to his playing days, Cassell has long been known how valuing the mid-range game on offense. Is that a potential stumbling block with Morey and the analytics-driven Rockets, who have become known for a “3-pointers, free throws, and layups” philosophy in recent years?

Furthermore, since Cassell’s Clippers are still in the playoffs, would the Rockets be willing to wait until the Los Angeles season ends to do an interview? That could take until mid-October. Even if Cassell was willing to do an interview while his team is still playing, it would have to be in a “virtual” setting, since he can’t leave the NBA “bubble.”

Gregg Popovich

Pros: He’s a five-time NBA champion and widely viewed as one of the best coaches in basketball history. The Spurs are in somewhat of a rebuilding mode, having just missed the playoffs for the first time in 23 years. He’s spoken very fondly of Harden in the past, and at 71 years old, he likely only has a few years left as a head coach.

It would be understandable if Popovich preferred a more winning situation for his final NBA years. He also has extensive experience with Harden and Westbrook as the head coach of USA Basketball.

Cons: Given his legendary status in San Antonio, would Popovich really leave the Spurs after more than 20 years — and for an in-state rival? The Brooklyn Nets allegedly had interest in Popovich before hiring Steve Nash, but that pursuit didn’t seem to go anywhere. And would Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who has taken a financial beating in 2020 thanks to the impact of COVID-19 on his restaurant and hospitality empire, shell out the significant cash that it would take for Popovich to even consider it? It’s a extreme longshot. but a pursuit would make sense on some levels.

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