John Calipari gives advice to Rockets’ Stephen Silas

Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas finds himself amid a rough stretch, as the team has lost eight consecutive games, including games against bottom-feeders such as the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, who are currently outside of the playoff picture in the lowly Eastern Conference. The Rockets surrendered 46 points to the Bulls in the third quarter of Monday night’s game, which is a franchise record by Chicago, who have won a bevy of championships and had teams much greater than the 2020-21 Bulls.

What worse is that the Rockets’ path to a competitive group hinges on Christian Wood’s health, and with him having suffered a re-aggravation of an ankle injury, Wood can’t be rushed back into action, as doing so would potentially make him even more likely to re-injure his ankle and be out for an even greater amount of time.

Silas has been dealt an unfavorable hand, leading him to question whether Rockets GM Rafael Stone knew what awaited him when he accepted the position.

John Calipari gives advice to Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas

After Monday night’s game, Silas shared his thoughts on the effort and adversity that the team has exuded and been met with.

Stephen Silas: "Regardless of what happens, David Nwaba and Sterling Brown are on it as far as playing hard, taking what the defense gives them, not letting adversity get to them."

Says there was a "difference" between the bench and the starting group.

— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) February 23, 2021

One person that knows a thing or two about adversity at the NBA coaching level is John Calipari, who went 26-56 in his first season as an NBA head coach, leading the then New Jersey Nets to have the seventh pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. Calipari also knows a thing or two about the Rockets’ roster, as he coached DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall at University of Kentucky, before either player stepped foot in the NBA.

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