Stephen Silas Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Interviewing Stephen Silas For HC Job

May 1st, 2018 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Another interviewee has emerged for the head coaching job in Atlanta, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that the Hawks are meeting with Hornets assistant Stephen Silas on Tuesday. Silas previously worked with current Hawks GM Travis Schlenk when both men were with the Warriors, Wojnarowski notes.

A longtime assistant for New Orleans, Cleveland, Golden State, and Charlotte, Silas has never held a permanent head coaching job in the NBA. However, he did step in for Steve Clifford for over a month during the 2017/18 season when Clifford took time away from the Hornets for health reasons.

After Clifford was dismissed by Charlotte at season’s end, there was a sense that both Clifford and Silas would be considered for some of the head coaching vacancies around the NBA. Silas has yet to meet with any other teams, but was immediately identified as a potential candidate for the Hawks after Mike Budenholzer‘s departure from the franchise.

Silas joins David Fizdale, Nate Tibbetts, Jarron Collins, and Darvin Ham among head coaching candidates who have interviewed – or will interview – for Atlanta’s job. Ime Udoka, Jay Larranaga, and James Borrego are also said to be on the Hawks’ radar, though interviews for those three have to be reported.

Hawks Expected To Consider Fizdale, Tibbetts, Others

April 26th, 2018 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

2:13pm: Vanterpool won’t be among the Hawks’ head coaching candidates after all, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

9:30am: The Hawks are the latest NBA team to embark on a search for a new head coach, having confirmed on Wednesday that they’ve parted ways with Mike Budenholzer, who had held the position since 2013. While there’s no presumed frontrunner to replace Budenholzer yet, a number of potential candidates have already emerged for Atlanta.

The Hawks are expected to talk to former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale and current Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts about their head coaching position, a source tells Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Fizdale has been one of this spring’s most popular head coaching candidates, having previously been linked to the Knicks, Suns, and Hornets. It’s the first time we’ve heard Tibbetts connected to one of the ongoing searches, however.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski adds a few more names to the Hawks’ list of candidates, reporting that the club is also expected to consider Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego, and another Trail Blazers assistant, David Vanterpool.

Borrego has been another assistant whose name has frequently popped up in coaching rumors this spring — he has been linked to the Knicks and Suns. Meanwhile, Silas was identified as a possible head coaching candidate in the wake of Steve Clifford‘s ouster in Charlotte. As Amick and Zillgitt note, Silas is “widely respected” around the NBA and was with the Warriors at the same time as current Hawks GM Travis Schlenk.

It’s no surprise that the initial group of candidates for the rebuilding Hawks includes a number of NBA assistants. Wojnarowski writes that the team wants to hire an up-and-coming coach who can evolve along with Atlanta’s young roster. Vanterpool, Silas, and Tibbetts all showed up near the top of a recent list of NBA assistants who should receive head coaching consideration — that list was voted on by about three dozen executives around the league.

Hornets Fire Steve Clifford

April 13th, 2018 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have relieved head coach Steve Clifford of his duties, the team announced today (via Twitter). Clifford had been scheduled to meet this morning with new Hornets president and GM Mitch Kupchak, and he and his staff had been expecting this move, per Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Clifford, who was hired by Charlotte in 2013, had been the NBA’s seventh-longest-tenured head coach. He led the franchise to a 196-214 record (.478) during his five years on the sidelines. The Hornets earned playoff berths twice during those five years, but were eliminated in the first round in both 2014 and 2016.

Since the regular season ended on Wednesday, three head coaches of Eastern lottery teams have been dismissed, with Clifford’s firing coming on the heels of the Knicks and Magic parting ways with Jeff Hornacek and Frank Vogel, respectively.

In each instance, a new management team has been installed within the last year, and those front offices will now have the opportunity to hand-pick their own head coaches. In Charlotte, Kupchak was formally hired just days ago, so finding a new coach will be his first major task with the franchise. It’s not yet clear what the list of candidates may look like for the Hornets.

Clifford stepped away from the Hornets for a little over a month earlier this season for health reasons. However, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Clifford has “fully recovered” from the headaches and insomnia that forced him to take a leave of absence.

Despite his rough year in Charlotte, Clifford remains well regarded in coaching circles, and it may not take him much time to find a new job elsewhere. As Mannix notes, there’s a chance that both Clifford and lead assistant Stephen Silas will be in the mix for head coaching openings this spring.

In addition to the Hornets, Knicks, and Magic, the Suns, Bucks, and Grizzlies are also expected to conduct head coaching searches this spring — those three teams currently have interim coaches in place.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Gasol, Paul

December 15th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Austin Kent

The Mavs have benefited from the across the board contributions of role players Dwight Powell and Yogi Ferrell this season, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. The pair have thrived as much-needed team worker bees.

“[Powell] always gives us amazing energy,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of his 26-year-old backup center. “He is just so into the team and winning. Guys like him, you just can’t get enough of.”

In 17.9 minutes per game, Powell has posted 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds, a stat line that works out to be 12.5 and 10.5 per-36. Ferrell, in contrast, has served the Mavs out of the backcourt, stepping up noticeably well as a spot starter for Dennis Smith Jr.

In five starts with the lottery pick sidelined, Ferrell has averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 assists per game for the Mavs.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

The Rockets have thrived under head coach Mike D’Antoni but for a while there, Hornets assistant Stephen Silas was in the running for the position. As Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle writes, the Charlotte coach still gets ribbed by friends and family when Houston, the best team in the NBA two months into the season, does something particularly impressive.
The Grizzlies haven’t officially declared that they’re looking to trade Marc Gasol but the big man’s name has been a topic of speculation anyway considering Memphis’ poor 2017/18 start. Chris Herrington of the Commercial Appeal has come up with six hypothetical trade scenarios that he thinks are reasonable, including one that would send the Spaniard to the Raptors in exchange for a Jonas Valanciunas package.
Offseason acquisition Chris Paul seems to be enjoying his new role with the Rockets, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN breaks down in a recent feature. That, coupled with the fact that Houston is 12-0 with Paul on the floor this season, bodes well for the franchise ahead of the veteran’s free agency this summer.

Steve Clifford Away From Hornets For Health Reasons

December 6th, 2017 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Hornets coach Steve Clifford will leave the team “for the immediate future” because of health concerns, the team announced this morning on its website. Associate head coach Stephen Silas will be the acting head coach while Clifford is out.

The team didn’t elaborate on the coach’s condition “out of respect for Clifford’s privacy.”

This is Clifford’s fifth season as Charlotte’s coach after spending 13 years as an NBA assistant. The 56-year-old has compiled a 169-181 record, including 9-13 this season, with two playoff appearances.

Silas, 44, is in his 18th year as an assistant. He started in the NBA as a scout with the Hornets in 1999 and rejoined the organization as a coach during the 2010/11 season.

Southeast Notes: D’Alessandro, Batiste, Smith Jr.

June 9th, 2017 at 10:45pm CST by Austin Kent

The Magic will hire Pete D’Alessandro as their new assistant general manager, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical tweets. D’Alessandro last served as an executive with the Nuggets, having previously served as the general manager of the Kings.

Just last month we wrote about the Magic adding Bucks executive John Hammond to fill their general manager role following the departure of Rob Hennigan.

D’Alessandro will return to the basketball operations side of a franchise for the first time since his stint with the Kings which ranged from 2013 to 2015.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets have hired Mike Batiste as an assistant coach, a report on the team’s official site states. Batiste was a player development assistant with the Nets last season. Stephen Silas will serve as the team’s designated lead assistant in 2017/18, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer adds.
Per Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog, Dennis Smith Jr. met with the Magic for a second time. He had previously worked out for the club.
The Hawks worked out Justin Jackson this week, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The North Carolina product could realistically fall to them at No. 19.
Potential second-round pick V.J. Beachem worked out with both the Hawks and the Hornets this week, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweeted.

Southeast Notes: Morris, Heat, Draft, Batiste

May 14th, 2017 at 10:13am CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards forward Markieff Morris is suffering through a severe left ankle injury, but says there’s no chance it will prevent him from playing in Monday’s Game 7 against the Celtics, relays J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Morris was able to play 39 minutes in Game 6, putting up 16 points and 11 rebounds in a thrilling 92-91 victory. He has been fighting through the pain ever since landing on Al Horford‘s foot on a jump shot in Game 1 and hasn’t practiced since the injury. “I don’t shoot at all. I just go back to treatment every day,” Morris said. “It’s not swollen as much, but the pain is still there. It’s the worst injury I’ve ever had.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat should consider trading down in the draft if they don’t get lucky in Tuesday’s lottery, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. After barely missing the playoffs on a tie-breaker, Miami has the worst odds of any lottery team. The Heat have just a 0.5% chance to land the No. 1 pick and only a slightly better shot at slots two and three. While options such as Justin Jackson, Ivan Rabb, John Collins or T.J. Leaf might be tempting at No. 14, Winderman believes Miami would be better off trying to rebuild its draft future. The Heat owe their first-round picks in 2018 and 2021 to Phoenix and don’t have a second-round pick until 2022.
The Heat have some important contract dates in the next few weeks, Winderman notes in the same piece. Josh McRoberts, Dion Waiters and Willie Reed all have a June 29th deadline to decide whether to opt out for next season. Josh Richardson‘s $1,471,382 salary for 2017/18 becomes fully guaranteed a day later, as does Okaro White‘s $1,312,611 figure on July 1st. Winderman expects McRoberts to opt in for $6MM, Waiters and Reed to both opt out and the team to guarantee Richardson’s salary while getting White to defer his guarantee date.
The Hornets added Mike Batiste to their coaching staff this week, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. An opening was created when Patrick Ewing gave up his role as associate head coach to take over at Georgetown. Stephen Silas was promoted to lead assistant, and Batiste will become a regular assistant. Batiste played for the Grizzlies in 2002/03, but spent most of his career in Europe.

Steve Kerr May Miss The Rest Of First-Round Series

April 23rd, 2017 at 8:53am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors are concerned about the health of head coach Steve Kerr, who may not be available for the remainder of their first-round series, writes Marcus Thompson II of The San Jose Mercury News.

Golden State won Saturday’s Game 3 without Kerr, who was held out with an illness that was only described in vague terms. A source tells Thompson that Kerr has been ailing since the series started. He has been suffering excruciating pain and at times can barely walk.Kerr’s health has been an issue since he underwent surgery in July of 2015 to fix a ruptured disk in his back. That operation created a fluid leak in his spine, and he needed a second procedure two months later.

He missed the first 43 games of last season before returning to his spot on the Warriors’ bench, but his health problems never fully went away. Thompson writes that the spinal fluid leak left him with “debilitating headaches and nausea,” along with other ailments.

The team hired Mike Brown as its lead assistant over the offseason because of his extensive experience as an NBA head coach. Thompson notes that the Warriors passed over younger candidates such as Stephen Silas because of fears that Kerr might not be able to coach the entire season.

Kerr was able to gameplan with Brown before Saturday’s game, but it remains uncertain when he might coach again. Kerr will undoubtedly want to return as soon as possible, but GM Bob Myers may insist that his friend get healthier first.

With the Warriors holding a 3-0 lead over Portland, Kerr’s absence isn’t a pressing concern. But the organization doesn’t have a definite understanding about the extent of the illness, and there’s no way of knowing when he might be back.

And-Ones: Rose, Clarkson, Silas

October 8th, 2016 at 10:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Derrick Rose won’t fly back and forth from Los Angeles, where he is currently defending himself in a civil trial, to play in the Knicks‘ preseason games, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Rose has no team personnel with him, Lewis adds. “He’s got his own guys,” a source tells Lewis.

Here’s more from around the league:

Lakers coach Luke Walton applauded Jordan Clarkson‘s defense and he envisions the combo guard having a major role off the bench this season, Joey Ramirez of NBA.com writes. “I don’t look at [Clarkson’s role] as really coming off the bench as much as the way Lamar came off our bench but he was really a starter,” Walton said. “He played big minutes, played the end of ball games. Ginobili [also] did it for years in San Antonio.”
Chris Mannix of the Vertical believes Stephen Silas will get his turn to become a head coach in this league, as he opines on Twitter. Silas has been an assistant coach for the Hornets since 2010.
New Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni is making defense a priority, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes. D’Antoni and assistant coach Jeff Bzlelik are looking for accountability from their players on that end of the floor. “Yeah, it’s a lot of things,” Bzdelik said. “You can’t let what happens on offense dictate your defensive energy. Defense needs to be constant, offense is a variable. It’s a mindset more so than anything else, to take it personal when you get scored upon.”

Warriors To Interview Tibbetts For Top Assistant Job

May 23rd, 2016 at 1:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors will interview Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts today for their top assistant coaching job, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

Tibbetts and Hornets assistant Stephen Silas are two of the serious candidates to replace new Lakers coach Luke Walton as Steve Kerr’s right-hand man, Wojnarowski continues. Silas will also be interviewed by the Warriors today during their stay in Oklahoma City for the Western Conference Finals.

Tibbetts interviewed for the Grizzlies head coaching job, while Silas is under strong consideration for the Rockets’ head coaching opening. Tibbetts has been an assistant with the Blazers since 2013 under coach Terry Stotts. He was also an assistant coach with the Cavaliers, as well as head coach of the D-League’s Tulsa 66ers for two seasons.

The Rockets are mulling a coaching partnership with Silas in the top spot and former Grizzlies and Nets head coach Lionel Hollins as associate head coach, Wojnarowski adds. The Rockets are interviewing Magic assistant Adrian Griffin and Spurs assistant James Borrego today, and Sixers assistant coach Mike D’Antoni is also a prime candidate for that job.

Portland also was granted permission Sunday to talk to Silas about being its top assistant, league sources told Wojnarowski.