Space City Scoop
Fansided

NBA insider explains what led to split between Rockets, Silas

By Anthony Duckett

Houston Rockets v Washington Wizards
Houston Rockets v Washington Wizards / Scott Taetsch/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

Stephen Silas' head coaching career came to a screeching halt on Sunday, as the Houston Rockets declined to pick up his fourth-year option. The Rockets couldn't get rid of Silas soon enough, as they made the announcement while the Rockets' regular-season finale was underway, drawing the ire of many.

But what exactly went wrong? How did Silas, a coach whose career started with so much promise, find himself on the outs after just three years?

On Sunday, CBS Sports and NBATV NBA analyst Greg Anthony joined NBA TV's NBA Playoff Preview and explained exactly what went south for Silas.

NBA insider explains what led to split between Silas, Rockets

"I think it was a really challenging situation for Stephen Silas, in part because when he signed up, it was a playoff team. Remember, Russell Westbrook and James Harden were still on that roster and literally overnight they had to go into rebuild mode.

Harden gets traded, Westbrook gets traded and now you've got all of these young guys that are still yet to learn how to play. And it's more of a scenario where you've gotta teach. And I don't know that he was ready for that type of situation.

And sooner or later, the next guy coming in is gonna have that. Coaching in the NBA is not often about teaching. But when you've got a young roster like this and a group that hasn't learned how to win, that's what you're gonna have to learn how to do."

Silas took over a Rockets team that finished fourth in the Western Conference in 2019-20 with a record of 44-28. After a disappointing exit in the Western Conference Semifinals, Rockets All-NBA guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook were both dealt before the midway point of Silas' first season in Houston and the job immediately became more difficult than Silas surely anticipated.

With a Rockets franchise struggling to field enough players to suit up, the team finished 17-55 in year one of Silas' tenure, and never really made much improvement in the win-loss column for the following two seasons.