Former Rockets Player on HOU's Struggles: 'I'm Glad I Got out of There When I Did'
The Houston Rockets won't be picking up the fourth-year option on head coach Stephen Silas' contract, according to multiple reports, ending his tenure after three seasons.
And it appears it was a divorce that had long been brewing, as issues reportedly festered during his tenure.
"I'm glad I got out of there when I did," a former Rockets player told Kelly Iko, Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
According to that report, "as multiple sources shared in extensive discussions about what was happening both then and now beneath the surface, this was a struggling group with an identity crisis, a head coach on his way out, a front office that desperately needs to return these Rockets to relevance and a frustrated owner who's not afraid to make necessary changes."
Silas, 49, took over as the team's head coach ahead of the 2020-21 season, in what turned out to be a major inflection point for the direction of the franchise. General manager Daryl Morey and former head coach Mike D'Antoni had walked away. James Harden ultimately forced a trade.
The Rockets had gone from a perennial contender who happened to hit their prime at the same moment as the slightly better Golden State Warriors hit theirs to a team that was engaging in a full-scale rebuild.
The team went just 17-55 in his first season, to nobody's great surprise. But year two brought along two highly exciting young rookies, Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün. The Rockets weren't expected to compete with such a young roster. But there was a level of disarray that was unexpected.
As The Athletic reported: "The absence of leadership off the floor turned into chaos on it, with a lack of winning habits the only consistent theme in a 20-62 season. Offensively, players deviated from game plans and resorted to their own means. Defensively, the effort was largely null and void on a nightly basis."
That extended into this past season, with the Rockets finishing 22-60. Even opposing players could sense that something was amiss.
"You get in a certain situation, and it's very easy to build bad habits. But habits are hard to break. You build bad habits, and it kind of becomes who you are," Warriors star Draymond Green told reporters in March. "It's important to try to play the right way."
Green was quick to defend the coaching staff, however.
"They're well-coached; you look at the coaching staff over there," he added. "[Silas] has been around the game his whole life. Lionel Hollins, who coached the Grizzlies when I came in the league, he's been around the game a very long time, the NBA game in particular a very long time. ... They have a great coaching staff."
But something wasn't clicking on the court. Clearly, the Rockets front office and ownership is laying that at the feet of Silas.
