The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets are in-state rivals from the same division, but that doesn’t mean they won’t show each other respect.
After serving as the top assistant to Rick Carlisle the last two seasons, Stephen Silas agreed Wednesday to take the lead job with the Rockets. The success Silas and the Mavs had last season — when Dallas was the most efficient offense in NBA history, statistically — played a large role in Houston’s decision to hire the 47-year-old to replace Mike D’Antoni.
As a result, even though the Mavs are losing a valuable piece of their coaching staff, many around the organization are clearly happy to see Silas rewarded by finally getting his first shot as an NBA head coach.
Among those to show their respect were All-Star guard Luka Doncic and owner Mark Cuban, who tweeted the following:
well deserved!!👏🏼👏🏼 https://t.co/yWHWzsSc6A
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) October 28, 2020
CONGRATS COACH Silas ! https://t.co/pVeMXuf103
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) October 28, 2020
Here’s a rundown of Silas’ coaching career to date, which now spans more than 20 years. He’s the son of former NBA coach Paul Silas, who coached in Charlotte at the time of Stephen’s first job.
1999–2000 Charlotte Hornets (scout)
2000–2002 Charlotte Hornets (assistant)
2002–2003 New Orleans Hornets (assistant)
2003–2005 Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
2005–2006 Washington Wizards (scout)
2006–2010 Golden State Warriors (assistant)
2010–2018 Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (assistant)
2018–present Dallas Mavericks (assistant)
Silas’ deal with the Rockets was broken by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “The Rockets were sold on Silas’ offensive ingenuity and his pedigree [with] Rick Carlisle, Steve Clifford, and his father, Paul Silas,” Woj tweeted.
“Silas has coached some remarkable guards in his NBA career, including Luka Doncic, Kemba Walker, and Steph Curry,” Woj added. “Now, he gets to run offense for [James] Harden and [Russell] Westbrook.”
ESPN story on the Houston Rockets hiring Dallas assistant Stephen Silas as head coach: https://t.co/KrkKKetEjq
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 28, 2020
