In his pregame media availability on Monday, Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas addressed the suspensions of starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. and center Christian Wood for the first time.
Both Porter and Wood traveled with the team to Philadelphia on Sunday, but Silas ultimately made the decisions that suspensions were warranted for both players based on their actions during Saturday’s game.
Among Silas’ comments to reporters:
My job is to hold people accountable to their actions and not overreact at all, but react appropriately.
These are very different circumstances that are being lumped together. As far as Kevin, we had a spirited debate. He lost his temper at halftime to the point where I thought it would be best for our team and culture for him to be suspended for today’s game.
Christian, we had a disagreement about him going into the game in the second half.
He (Porter) is emotional. He’s a competitor. Kevin is a good kid. He owns up to his mistakes when he makes them, and tries not to make those mistakes again. We put a lot into him. We knew that he had a past before he came here, but there are consequences. He crossed a line, and he’ll be back.
We still love him, we’ll still grow with him. Everything will be okay. This shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. It should be a bump in the road.
Both Porter and Wood are expected to be available when Houston plays its next game on Wednesday night in Washington. They have yet to speak publicly about the controversial incidents, though that could change as soon as Tuesday’s practice or before or after Wednesday’s game.
Stephen Silas on suspending Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr for one game each: “My job is to hold people accountable to their actions and not overreact at all, but react appropriately.” pic.twitter.com/eJOLltj0pu
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 3, 2022
