3 uncomfortable conversations the Houston Rockets don’t want to have

Houston Rockets uncomfortable conversation #1: Is Stephen Silas the right man

The Houston Rockets are currently on a 13 game losing streak. The franchise’s longest losing streak was 17 games and occurred in 1967-68 when they were a first-year expansion team known as the San Diego Rockets.

The Rockets are approaching the wrong type of history and the man at the helm, Stephen Silas, has to be on rocky ground. This season has been incredibly turbulent and it would be unfair to judge any coach by this season alone but the Rockets need to figure out if Silas is the right man for the job.

This is not the conversation the franchise was hoping to have but it needs to be explored. How much of this losing streak should fall on the shoulders of the rookie head coach?

The mitigating factors for Silas are that the Rockets spent their offseason installing an offense that was predicated on spacing and 3-point shooting with James Harden at the helm. Since then, the team has weathered a bout of covid, Harden being traded, and Christian Wood suffering an ankle injury which kicked off the losing streak.

In a season without practice and all of the moving pieces, it would be impossible for a coach to come in and fully install their offense. The bright spot in Silas’ favor is that the Rockets defense has been better than expected but this was a coach who was brought in for his offensive vision.

The Rockets need to figure out if Silas is the right man to oversee this rebuild and whether or not cutting bait now is the right move. When Christian Wood comes back if the Rockets continue to lose then Silas’ tenure could be in serious doubt.

Every franchise has to have uncomfortable conversations but that’s especially true for a team that’s muddled in a 13 game losing streak. There are a million excuses for why this season has gone south but at the end of the day, the head coach needs to answer for them.