Should Silas be on the Hot Seat?

You do you.

 

They have one more year.
Silas has to have some players show some improvement
Some development

Stone needs a clear win.
Nothing that is 2~3 yrs away

I think Stone has a longer leash than Silas.

i think no one expects anything from our players
so . . . .I think everyone expected us to be in the Lotto since the beginning of the year

So if next year we have another top 4 pick on our team . . . ..
What will be an acceptable result?

Rocket River

 

everybody needs more experience always and everybody needs to 'learn to play defense' especially wood...and I dont really care if you like sengun or not...for you to be singling sengun like that was kinda silasesque...he sure has a whole lot of you under his influence without you even noticing it...

 

Honestly this losing streak will probably hit 18 games before it ends based on the upcoming schedule. Has any other coach amassed 3 losing streaks of 15 or more games in 2 seasons?

No matter what you think of players, Silas has not been putting them a position to win.

I think the jury is still out on Stone, as most of his moves seem to have a horizon at least 2 seasons from even now -- 23/24 season. He appears to basically be performing "The Process" here in Houston without making it a big deal or bringing too much attention to it like they did in Philly.

Yes, many of his moves have backfired, but most were boom or bust gambles that honestly have marginally worsened the team for the opportunity of dramatically increasing future picks/options. For a rebuilding team that really has no current plans to compete, that is forgivable.

 

Wow

Words come back to often haunt us....not me....you

 

As Rocket fans, folks have context currently because we're still living through Silas' tenure as a Rockets head coach. The memories are still fresh. For the record, I think he will be here for at least another season, but it's possible he'll be gone after this.

And points have been made already about:

* He was supposed to come in for the Harden/Westbrook team
* Team is in a rebuild. Young players take time to develop. Even if they bust, we won't know until at least in year 2 or 3.
* He's a player's coach.​

Silas' 2nd season still have some games left. Lot of this is 'situational' than just Silas himself (or his ability to coach). That said if we objectively step back, he is (at least right now), the worst head coach in Rocket's franchise history.



2021-22, the record right now is worse. At the time of this writing, we are 16-48 (.250 %). So by the time he finishes this year, his Pct will likely be even in lower. Historically speaking McMahon (32.1%) lasted three seasons, Winter (39%), two seasons.

A good chunk of this is unfair to Silas, but as one of the faces of the franchise, he gets the credit or the blame, whether deserved or not. Maybe by his 3rd or 4th year it'll get better, but as it stands, if Stone let Silas go, very few NBA teams will touch him anytime soon.

Much of it is on Stone, will the picks bloom? Are guys like Wood or KPJ panning out? "Flashes" are just that flashes. Silas' career as a HC depends as much on Stone's ability to get a good roster than anything else.

Not sure if the young rocket players know, as they're trying to stay in the league. Guys like Silas has as much to lose as them.

 

is this just another way to say silas is a bad coach?

what is the point of coach if he needs lebron to suceed? anyone can be a good coach if he has lebron....

no, you got the players, now you coach them...... its on you to make them work......

and you give them PT or take it from them if they dont do as told... ..you motivate them..... you inspire them....you remind them constantly....you teach them and make the chemistry....YOU MAKE THEM BETTER

he suspended wood for god knows what but he wasnt able to teach him such a fundamental of setting a proper screen or lifting your hand in the air to block the shot of the opponent in his near vicinity...he should be suspended indefinitely for not playing defense and not setting proper screens....clearly silas wasnt able to hold him accountable inspire him or motivate...

he got plenty of talent to work with and he chooses not to coach them properly, couldnt motivate and inspire them, assigned them with improper roles and he even benched the most talented guys, gave them crumbles of minutes and punished them for hustling and improving their play...??!!(take that for data)

silas wouldnt not succeed no matter what players you give him....lololol he may even bench the good players you think its stones duty to provide him with for his career to thrive....smh

take care and buy felicia!

 

This is why most coaches hate tanking and will eek out pointless victories like what JVG did during our 1st round bombs. Sure, you tank for better odds, but the fans start thinking the FO is trash status.

The calls to remove Silas are simplistic because there aren't going to be any high profile suckers willing to waste a couple years minimum for Stone and these teenagers to get it and start winning at a more respectable percentage.

So you're stuck with unproven rookie HC like Silas or some random find like Chris Finch that the Rockets held onto but never nutted up and commited.

I don't even think Silas is that good.

 

I’m willing to bet everything I own that Stephen Silas is incompetent. Back to back dead last finishes.

Unremarkable beta male with Daddy’s last name. Nice and obedient for management, seems socially awkward for a head coach too!

 

You could also wonder why Wiseman has not played, and he is not hurt anymore.

 

Some very valid points here. I agree as well Silas should get at least one more year.

We really don’t know what Tillman is thinking. Rafa seems to have a pretty long leash here. In some interviews he has eluded many times that we are in a rebuild and that he will it rush anything.

Just my guess but I think we continue collecting assets ala Presti and continue building through the draft. The wins and loses year over year will all depend on offseason growth. Both Sengun and Green should be better than last year as well as some of the other young guys. Does that lead to more wins.

Also getting another top 3 pick. I think things are going as planned from an organization stand point.

After next season the question will be how patient Tillman will be. Sad thing, as we actually do improve, I don’t see Silas ultimately reaping the reward. He will likely be gone and someone else will reap the rewards!

 

Nah

 

Hell yes he should, I can't believe he is focusing on D this year, like he literally wasted an entire year.......I am sure the org did it on purpose to tank but man, that sucks....for me, Silas needs to be accountable for MAJOR improvement this year.

DD

 

CHICAGO — There were hundreds of open seats at Wintrust Arena available, but Rockets head coach Stephen Silas preferred to stand and observe.

Close by, watching the first scrimmage of the day at the NBA Draft Combine were Rockets assistant director of player personnel Chuck Hayes, Rio Grande Vipers head coach and reigning G League Coach of the Year Mahmoud Abdelfattah and National Basketball Coaches Association executive director David Fogel — with Rockets basketball operations staff member Ed Pinckney seated a few rows down.

Of course, there were lighthearted conversations among the four of them — catching up on general offseason happenings — but the majority of Silas’ attention was geared toward the action on the floor. For the past few weeks, that’s all Silas has been able to do. He’s been consuming as much playoff basketball as he can, taking some much-needed time off to decompress from a long season and checking in on his young players. The Rockets have a plan for the future, and Silas has been given the full backing of the team and front office.

Silas, heading into his third season as head coach, discussed with The Athletic the last few weeks, the upcoming draft, building a bond with Jalen Green, defensive goals and more.

(Editor’s note: The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.)

We’re weeks removed from the end of the regular season. How have you been able to decompress and get some time away from the game to gear up for another season?

I’ve been spending my time in the gym, watching our guys get better, watching our guys work. We’ve got a bunch of guys in the gym. This time is fun, watching them get back in shape, watching them work on things that they weren’t able to work on during the season. Watching them kind of explore and also spending time off the floor with them is important. As much as I wanted to get away and decompress — which I did for a little bit — I just love being in the gym. So, if we’re gonna have guys in the gym, and John Lucas is gonna be there and our other assistant coaches are gonna be there, I’m gonna be there, too.

Anyone that’s stood out to you early on? Maybe physically or on the floor?

Not so much. But it’s great to have our rookies from last year there, and all four of them — or five of them, including (Daishen) Nix — there. That leads to us getting better. I haven’t noticed anything as far as them developing any differently because it’s only been, like, a month. And they took a lot of time off, as well, so they’re slowly trying to get themselves back into the grind mode.

You’re a basketball junkie and have watched a good amount of playoff ball. What have you seen from those games? Anything to take back to your guys?

It’s the defense to me. I mean, these teams are holding people under 100 points. Teams are struggling to find ways to score. If you look at the four teams that are playing right now, they’re all good defensive teams. They all apply a lot of ball pressure, and they are good at helping and recovering. For our guys to look at one, (it’s) the intensity that these teams are playing with, but also, the defense is important for them to understand. This is how you get good, and this is how we’re going to improve as a group.

Any tweaks you want to make schematically or combinations you want to try this season?

Yeah, there are some things that I’ve seen. I’m not gonna get too far into it. But you see that the teams that are having a little bit more movement on the offensive end are being more successful. If the defense just stands there and locks into teams playing spread, pick-and-roll the whole time, they’re going to shut you down. So, teams are playing with a little bit more movement, and that’ll probably be something that we do. On the defensive end, teams are helping and recovering, protecting the paint and protecting the rim. We have to be better at that, as well.

Houston finished in the top 10 in the percentage of points from the paint, free-throw line and 3-point line. What do you take from that, understanding that, yes, you’re still a young team, but you guys know the most efficient way to play?

I think it speaks to our structure. It speaks to the learning curve of our young guys, how they picked it up, took it and ran with it. Especially that last little stretch where we were missing a bunch of guys, but the guys who stepped in played fast and were able to get the ball into the paint and play well. There’s gonna have to be a carryover from that to this coming season as we add layers to what we did, because last year, as I said to you a bunch of times, we were basic. Hopefully this upcoming season, we’ll be able to go over that stuff the first couple of days of training camp and then move on to a little bit more detailed, more complicated stuff.

The bond with Jalen Green is extremely important. Year 1 was the intro, but Year 2 is even more important. How have those conversations been and what are you looking for him to do?

The conversations have been great. We’ve spent time together, which is always good, and you develop a relationship that way. For him, it’s a couple of things — getting his body to where he feels like he is strong and ready for an 82-game season. I don’t think any rookie can come in and say from Day 1, I’m physically ready for an 82-game season because you don’t know until you go through it. He’s going through that and has been working hard this summer on his body, which is great. And also, not putting too much pressure on himself to fulfill expectations or whatever. The only expectations he has to fulfill are his own, and those are high enough. That’s what I love about him; he has high expectations for himself. He’s easy to coach and he’s easy to get on. He knows I played him well toward the end of the season, but Year 2 is going to be harder, and he’s ready for it. He’s ready for it, which is great.

Toward the end of last season, you had to use a different rotation than the one we had seen for most of the season. Once training camp rolls around, the veterans will be back. How do you combine the two, everything you learned about the young guys at the tail end with the veterans you already know?

It’s gonna be interesting. I think we have the right guys that can do it. We have good guys, and they all want to win more games and know that it takes sacrifice on everybody’s part. Not just the older guys, the younger guys, too, so it’s gonna be a little bit different. But for us to be successful, everybody’s going to have to sacrifice. That’s just the nature of being a good team, selflessness and we have guys who can do that.

Before you took the job, the word is that you knew how to get the best out of James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Now it’s a different tune with Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green. What are the schematics of that pairing moving forward and how can you get the best out of both of them together?

I think you saw it toward the end of the season where they were both very aggressive with the ball, but also not playing selfishly at all. The ball was moving, and we were getting a bunch of assists; we weren’t turning it over as much. And they were playing well together. So, building on that, getting the ball moving from side to side, but also making sure that everybody else is getting involved, too. It’s not just about those two guys; it’s about the whole group functioning well on both ends of the floor.

With the chance of adding the Nos. 3 and 17 picks in this year’s draft, you’ve shown that this is an environment that cultivates young talent and where they can feel welcomed. How excited are you about potentially adding two more good players?

It remains to be seen. I’m super excited about this coming season, for sure; I can’t wait. But as you said, who knows what will happen with the future, the roster, the draft picks and all that stuff? It’s exciting to have an influx of talent with our group. Who knows what it could be? But I can’t wait.

One of the goals last season was to lead the league in pace, playing fast and furious. Any specific ones for this upcoming year?

I want to be a better defensive team. We just have to be, and for young guys, that’s hard. Hard for them to grasp the defensive end and be able to anticipate what’s coming. To see a set develop and know where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there and be there on time. I want to improve on the defensive end.

Hearing you say that, do you find yourself watching more defense these days? Naturally, you’re an offensive-minded guy, but from seeing you over these past two seasons, the key to earning trust and minutes under you is by playing defense.

One hundred percent. I’ve been watching a lot of defense. I’ve been watching a bunch of different teams, I’ve been studying a lot, talking to my staff, and we all know it’s a priority of not just our group but our organization. You know, we want to be a top team in both, and sometimes it’s easier to be a good offensive team when you’re young, just because you’ve been getting buckets your whole life. But when you’re young, you have to concentrate on the defensive end, and there’s got to be a big-time focus on it. So, that’s what’s coming.

You have a chance of adding a good prospect to this mix. What are you looking for?

That’s really on Rafael (Stone). We’ll work on it together and kind of see what comes, but as far as what I’m looking for, I have complete trust in Rafael and his ability to put a good team on the floor. It’s my job to coach them.