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Former NBA Player, Coach Paul Silas Dies At 79

December 11th, 2022 at 10:38am CST by Arthur Hill

Longtime NBA player and coach Paul Silas has died, tweets Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe.

Silas, 79, was a rugged rebounder and defender during his 16 NBA seasons. He was a two-time All-Star, a five-time All-Defensive selection and was part of three title-winning teams: the Celtics in 1974 and 1976 and the SuperSonics in 1979.

After leading the NCAA in rebounding at Creighton, Silas was a second-round pick by the St. Louis Hawks in 1964. He was traded to the Suns in 1969 and the Celtics in 1972 before finishing his career with the Nuggets and Sonics. Silas appeared in 1,254 career games, averaging 9.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per night.

He moved into coaching after his playing career ended, starting as head coach of the San Diego Clippers from 1980-83 and later serving in the same role with the Hornets, Cavaliers and Bobcats before his coaching career ended in 2012. Silas is the father of Rockets head coach Stephen Silas.

We at Hoops Rumors send our condolences to Silas’ family and friends.

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Bobcats Coaching Rumors: Silas, McMillan, Cho

April 30th, 2012 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Bobcats announced earlier today that Paul Silas wouldn't be returning to coach the team next season, they added that the search for his replacement would begin immediately. With Charlotte not wasting any time looking for a new coach, rumors about who that coach will be are already swirling. Here's the latest (all links via Twitter):

Silas may not be the head coach in Charlotte anymore, but he'll remain with the team in a consulting role, says Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Within the same tweet, Bonnell says Paul's son Stephen Silas will be interviewed by the Bobcats for the coaching job.
Former Blazers coach Nate McMillan is a North Carolina native and seems like a logical fit, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports hears that there's a "remote chance" McMillan will have interest in the position.
McMillan himself told Bonnell, "I certainly do want to be in coaching again, so we'll see what happens."
The coaching free agent market is rich, but Bobcats owner Michael Jordan will have to sell hard on the Charlotte job, says SI.com's Chris Mannix. Wojnarowski is more blunt in his assessment of the Bobcats' opening, calling it "one of the least appealing coaching jobs in modern NBA history."
Bobcats GM Rich Cho wants the next coach to see the job as an opportunity rather than a burden, says Bonnell. That sales pitch could probably use some work.
Jordan needs to hand over control of the basketball decisions to Cho, suggests Mannix.

Paul Silas Will Not Return To Coach Bobcats

April 30th, 2012 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Paul Silas will not return to Charlotte to coach the Bobcats next season, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. The team confirmed the decision in a press release.

The move is hardly a surprise, since Silas' contract was set to expire and the Bobcats finished the season with an all-time-worst 7-59 record. Even outside of posting an NBA-record-low .106 winning percentage and ending the season on a 23-game losing streak, Silas and the Bobcats endured their share of turmoil. Silas, 68, reportedly clashed with Boris Diaw before the veteran was waived, and the coach had a locker-room altercation with Tyrus Thomas as well. Silas also received some criticism for allowing his son Stephen to coach a handful of games.

When I previewed the Bobcats' offseason earlier today, I didn't touch on the coaching situation, but the task of finding a new coach now figures to be at the top of the team's summer to-do list. According to Bonnell, candidates the Bobcats could consider include Nate McMillan, Mike D'Antoni and Patrick Ewing. Of course, if other coaching jobs open up over the next few weeks, it's hard to imagine Charlotte being the first choice of any big-name candidate.

Tyrus Thomas, Paul Silas Involved In Altercation

April 18th, 2012 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Tyrus Thomas and Bobcats coach Paul Silas engaged in a post-game shouting match following Sunday's game that led to Silas shoving Thomas, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. No punches were thrown, as several players intervened immediately to separate the two. According to Wojnarowski, Silas was angry that Thomas chatted with some Celtics after the Bobcats lost their 16th straight game.

"Silas hates losing to the Celtics, and Paul was even angrier that he thought [Thomas] was acting buddy-buddy with some of their guys," a source told Wojnarowski. "That’s what got it going. But Paul was yelling at him over his salary, over what they have left to pay him. But it started with him saying, hey, he could live with the losing, but you’re going to be buddy-buddy as they’re beating your ass too?"

GM Rod Higgins told Wojnarowski that he has met with Silas and Thomas about the incident and both have been fined.

Even before this confrontation, it was hard to imagine a scenario that involved both Silas and Thomas returning to Charlotte next season. Silas was identified today by Susan Bible of HoopsWorld as one of a handful of NBA coaches on the hot seat, which is hard to argue, given the Bobcats' awful 2011/12 record. Silas, who is in the last year of his contract, also reportedly clashed with Boris Diaw earlier this season, and has allowed his son Stephen to coach the occasional Bobcats game.

Thomas, meanwhile, still has about $26MM left on his contract after this season, and is a prime candidate to be amnestied. Besides Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo, Thomas is the only Bobcat under contract past 2012/13.

Southeast Notes: Silas, Wade, Wizards, Seraphin

April 11th, 2012 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks head into Boston tonight on a three-game winning streak and a half-game ahead of the Magic in the Southeast Division. As Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes, it may not be a bad thing for the Magic if the standings hold their current position. Currently the East's sixth seed, the Magic would face the third-place Pacers if the season ended today, and Robbins figures the Pacers are the best matchup for Orlando among the East's present playoff squads.

While we wait to see how the playoff seeding shakes out, let's check in on the latest from the Southeast….

Bobcats coach Paul Silas hasn't heard indications from Charlotte management whether he'll be back on the team's bench next season. Silas tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he's okay with the uncertainty, but would like to continue coaching the club because he "wouldn't want to leave things as they are" (Twitter links).
Echoing comments made by Ray Allen, Heat star Dwyane Wade told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida that he also believes players should be compensated for playing in the Olympics.
Discussing the recent contributions from Cartier Martin and James Singleton, Wizards coach Randy Wittman joked that next year all his players will be on 10-day contracts, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Earlier this afternoon, I named Martin and Singleton as two of the best 10-day signings of 2012.
Wizards majority owner Ted Leonsis wrote the following on his blog, Ted's Take: "A lot of general managers around the league are now asking; 'How did we not draft Kevin Seraphin and how did he fall so far in the draft?' Kudos to our scouts. And congratulations to Kevin Seraphin for taking advantage of his minutes and playing with hustle and showing off his gifts. Both Kevin Seraphin and Jordan Crawford were a part of our series of transactions around the Kirk Hinrich trades."