Why the Rockets should part with Stephen Silas

As we approach the end of the regular season, the Houston Rockets will once again finish at the bottom of the Western Conference. It's no secret that this is one of the biggest offseasons for Houston, as they look to add another top-five pick, along with having $60 million in cap space.

So with the season coming to an end, there are already whispers of the Rockets possibly looking to move on from Head Coach Stephen Silas. Silas's tenure in Houston has been regarded as disappointing due to their inability to consistently play over the past three years.

Nobody thought Silas would turn the rebuilding Rockets into a contender overnight, but the lack of discipline and efforts have led many in the Rockets community to want to move on.

Luckily, the Rockets have an option whether or not they want to retain Silas for another season, so the team wouldn't have to keep paying him.

Why the Houston Rockets should part with Stephen Silas

Senior NBA columnist Steve Bulpett reported that both Ime Udoka and Nick Nurse could draw interest from the Rockets. Nurse is a wildcard because he is still with the Raptors, but many reports have indicated that this could be his last season with the team. However, in Udoka's case he was dismissed by the Celtics following a year-long suspension.

Both Nurse and Udoka would be a massive upgrade over Silas, given the fact that they each appeared in the NBA Finals. They have been regarded around the league as "great basketball minds" with several players crediting them for their growth.

Although Nurse did inherit a championship-caliber team, he made the Raptors play a new way that they weren't accustomed to playing with fewer isolation plays. Nurse's X's and O's is what got him to the NBA in the first place.

He was winning championships with the Rockets' G-League affiliate team, the Rio Grande Vipers. Nurse took over for a coach who had just won NBA Coach of the Year and managed to win the championship.

On the other hand, Udoka's stardom as a coach wasn't as easy, compared to Nurse. Udoka was hired in 2021 after Brad Stevens moved into the GM position.

The Celtics were known as a good team who could make a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but could never get over the hump to the Finals. Udoka installed a defense-first scheme where he would make superstar Jayson Tatum commit on both ends.

Even though Boston lost the championship to the Golden State Warriors, there was hope that a championship was on the horizon.

Nurse and Udoka will both be heavily coveted this offseason, but if these two are on the top of the Rockets list then this rebuild could be moving to a brighter direction.