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The Houston Rockets are finalizing a deal to make Stephen Silas their next head coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday evening. Silas will replace Mike D’Antoni, who decided not to re-up his contract with Houston after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers. Silas comes over after being an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach of the Houston Rockets, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 28, 2020
Silas has worked as a scout and an assistant coach in the NBA since 1999. The Boston native played college ball at Brown University and is the son of former NBA coach Paul Silas. His father is best known for coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers when they drafted LeBron James in 2003. Paul is in the College Basketball Hall of Fame and also played 16 years in the NBA before becoming a coach.
Stephen’s longest stint as an assistant was with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets from 2010-18 before joining the Mavericks in 2018. Silas worked for the Golden State Warriors from 2006-10 under Don Nelson, and coached Stephen Curry during his rookie season in 2009-10. Silas also worked as an assistant under his father with the Cavs, coaching James early in his career.
Silas will be tasked with figuring out how to get the most out of James Harden and Russell Westbrook on the court at the same time. The new coach will also need to figure out what to do with a roster that was widely geared toward playing small ball in D’Antoni’s fast-paced, 3-point oriented offense. This could mean big changes are on the horizon for Houston.