There are a lot of things that sports can teach you, especially professional sports. The National Basketball Association (NBA) taught one person specifically patience. It took said player a decade before he won an NBA title. As a coach he had to work as an assistant before he got another shot at being the sideline leader for another team. As a father, he had to wait two decades before his son, who was an assistant coach on a couple of his staffs during his NBA career to get his opportunity. On Sunday with his family around him.
On Sunday, Paul Silas, who played 16
seasons in the NBA for the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1964-69), Phoenix Suns
(1969-72), Boston Celtics (1972-76), Denver Nuggets (1976-77), and Seattle
Supersonics (1977-80) passed away, his family announced on Sunday and was first
reported by The Boston Globe. Mr. Silas, who died from cardiac arrest
was 79 years old. He is survived by his two children in Paula Silas-Guy, who
told The New York Times that Mr. Silas passed away on Saturday night and
current head coach of the Houston Rockets Stephen Silas, who were by his side
at the time of his father’s passing.
Silas, the No. 10 pick in the Second Round
of 1964 NBA Draft out of the Creighton University, where he averaged 20.5
points and 21.6 boards in three seasons played in the NBA for 16 NBA seasons
and was a two-time All-Star (1972, 1975), three-time NBA champion (1972 and
1975 w/Celtics and 1979 w/Seattle Supersonics) and five-time NBA All-Defensive
Selection (First-Team 1975 & 1976; Second-Team 1971-73) and was once
President of National Basketball Players Association (NBPA).
“We mourn the passing of former NBA
All-Star and head coach Paul Silas,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on
Sunday about the passing of Coach Silas. “Paul’s lasting contributions to the
game are seen through the many players and coaches he inspired, including his
son, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. We send our deepest condolences to
Paul’s family.”
Before tip-off of Sunday night’s contest
between the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks versus
Houston Rockets, both Madison Square Garden in New York, NY and Toyota Center
in Houston, TX held a moment of silence to remember Coach Silas, who was voted
into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
The Rockets defeated the Bucks
(19-7) at home 97-92 on Sunday night with assistant coach John Lucas patrolling
the sidelines in place of the younger Silas.
“The Fertitta Family and the Rockets
organization are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Silas, father of
Rockets head coach Stephen Silas,” the Rockets said in a statement via Twitter
(@Houston Rockets). “Our heartfelt thoughts are with Stephen and his family
during this difficult time.”
Coach Silas returned to the Rockets sidelines for their 111-97 victory on Tuesday night versus the Phoenix Suns (16-12), their second straight win. At the conclusion of the contest, Suns head coach Monty Williams gave a warm embrace to Coach Silas.
"I don't know if it makes it easier or not, but my dad was a coach and he would tell me to coach," Silas said in his postgame presser. "Get your butt up out there and coach. So that's what I did."
There were also pregame moments of silence
for Mr. Silas before the tilts in Philadelphia between the Charlotte Hornets
and Philadelphia 76ers and in New Orleans between the Phoenix Suns and New
Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
“For my family, he’s a god. He’s larger than
life,” Hornets current head coach Steve Clifford said of Coach Silas.
Mr. Silas began his coaching career in the
NBA first with the San Diego (now Los Angeles Clippers; 1980-83). He was an
assistant for 11 years with New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets (1988-89; 1992-95),
New York Knicks (1989-1992), Phoenix Suns (1995-97), Charlotte Hornets
(1997-99). He would not get his second shot being a head coach until 1999 when
the Hornets tapped him to replace Hall of Famer Dave Cowens, who was fired
after the team got off to a 4-11 start that season.
The Hornets in 1998-99 strike shortened
season under Coach Silas finished 22-13 under his watch, just missing out on
the Playoffs by one game.
Coach Silas became the full-time head
coach the next season and was their sideline leader for three seasons and for
one season when the team moved to New Orleans in 2002-03.
After being given the axe by the Pelicans,
the Cleveland Cavaliers hired Coach Silas, where he coached future Hall of
Famer and current Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James.
Silas two seasons with the Cavaliers was
riffed with controversy as he feuded with veteran guard Eric Snow and was fired
by in the middle of 2004-05 season when the team was 34-30 and No. 5 Seed in
Eastern Conferenc.
Silas after spending some time working as
a television analyst for ESPN, Silas was named interim head coach of the then
Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets) on Dec. 22, 2010, replacing the
outgoing Hall of Famer Larry Brown and became the full-time head coach on Feb.
16, 2011.
Silas time with the then Bobcats ended when the team announced on Apr. 30, 2012 that he would not be returning for the
2012-13 season after producing the worst record for a single season in NBA
history (7-59) at .106 winning percentage.
“I stayed positive. I had a positive
attitude,” Silas told the Rotary Club of Charlotte while giving a speech there
nine years ago. “Even though I couldn’t get the job, I said, ‘No, I’m not going
to be negative. I’m going to be positive.”
In his six seasons with the Hornets,
because of the transfer of records that took place in 2014, Coach Silas
compiled a 204-220 mark and is recognized as the first head coach in the
history of the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans franchise.
In total, Silas compiled a 387-488 record in
his head coaching career and 13-16 mark in his four Playoffs appearances, which
were all with the Hornets (2000-03).
“He combined the knowledge developed over nearly 40 years as an NBA player and coach with an innate understanding of how to mix discipline with his never-ending positivity,” Hall of Famer and Chairman of the Hornets Michael Jordan said of Silas. “On or off the court, Paul’s enthusiastic and engaging personality was accompanied by an anecdote for every occasion. He was one of the all-time great people in our game, and he will be missed.”
As a player on the court, Silas was one of
the most ferocious competitive players in the league during his 16-year NBA
career where he averaged 9.4 points and 9.9 rebounds, averaging a double-double
for seven straight seasons and eight out of nine seasons (1969-70 w/Hawks &
1969-76 w/Suns & Celtics).
“Paul Silas was a consummate team player
and an integral member of the 1974 and 1976 NBA World Championship teams,”
Celtics tweeted @Celtics on Sunday afternoon. “Silas was a fierce competitor,
with his tenacious rebounding and deft scoring ability around the hoop.”
As a coach, Silas was never afraid of
being honest with the players he coached. But at the same time, the players he
coached had a respect for him because he was always himself and what he said
always came from the heart.
While he was very competitive on the
hardwood as a player and on the sidelines as a coach, Mr. Silas was described
by many to be one of the nicest and most caring human beings you will ever come
into contact with.
Current Los Angeles Laker (11-15) LeBron
James said about Coach Silas after the team’s 124-117 win at the Detroit
Pistons (7-22) on Sunday night that he was “one of the greatest human being’s”
he has “ever been around.”
“The start of my journey in this league
started with him. His command, his principles, his attention to detail, his
love for family…to hear the news was very sad.”
Coach Silas, who coached James his first two
NBA seasons in his first stint with the Cavaliers has that same admiration for
the four-time Kia MVP and four-time NBA champion saying he was “unbelievable.”
“At 18 years old, he knew about Bill
Russell, he knew about a lot of players who came through that most players his age
don’t even know. And he understood the game.”
Another player that Coach Silas had a major effect on that he coached was Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who was an assistant on the late Paul Westphal's staff from 1995-97.
Barkley on TNT's "Inside the NBA" said that he learned a lot about NBA hoops from Coach Silas, specifically the difference between a "good player" and a "great player." What guys strengths are. That it was necessary to know what a player can give you on a consistent basis to come up with a game plan for victory.
The best thing Barkley, who played for the Suns from 1992-96 said that Coach Silas taught him was when he was playing for the Celtics and the late great Arnold "Red" Auerbach said that he need concentrate on being a great defender and rebounder. In that reference, Auerbach was letting Silas know then that one of the keys to being a good player is knowing what your strengths are. How to help your team win.
Barkley referenced a story about a time when he was playing not up to par and Coach Silas is tearing into him saying, "You're supposed to be a star. You're in here stinking up the joint. You're playing awful."
"You're a superstar. Play like a superstar," Barkley said that Coach Silas also said as he continued to tear into him.
"Barkley, who said he was embarrassed for how he was playing answered Coach Silas back by saying, "If you keep yelling at me in front of all these guys, I'm coming over there and punch you in your head."
Silas answered back without hesitation, "You've got a head too."
Cooler head prevailed after game when Barkley and Silas hashed things out and Barkley said it was one of his best memories of Coach Silas.
James’ former team the Cavaliers said in a
team-released statement on Sunday echoed those same sentiments about their
former coach, “His engaging presence and huge personality inspired legions of
NBA players and coaches.”
“We send our deepest condolences to the
Silas family and everyone that loved him. Rest in power Coach!”
Among those that Coach Silas inspired to
be a part of this NBA fraternity was his son Stephen, who coached alongside his
dad with the Hornets both in Charlotte and New Orleans from 2000-03 and the
subsequent two seasons with Cavaliers from 2003-05.
Like his father, the younger Silas was an assistant coach for nearly two decades with Washington Wizards (2005-06) as a scout and with the Golden State Warriors (2006-10), again the Bobcats/Hornets (2010-18) and then two seasons with Dallas Mavericks (2018-20) before being named head coach of the Rockets in 2020.
Also like his father, Silas as an
assistant was there at the start of the careers of three players who would go
on to establish themselves as prominent offensive forces in “The Association”
in two-time Kia MVP, four-time NBA champion and eight-time All-Star Stephen
Curry, the No. 7 overall pick in 2009 NBA Draft. Now Dallas Mavericks’
four-time All-Star and 2019 All-NBA Third Team selection Kemba Walker, No. 9
overall pick in 2011 NBA Draft. In his two seasons with the Mavericks, Silas
coached the NBA’s newest rising star in three-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA
First Team selection and 2019 Kia Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic.
Silas is now charged with developing
youngsters in Jalen Green, Kevin Porter, Jr., rookie Jabari Smith, Jr., Alperen
Sengun, Tari Eason, and Kevin Martin, Jr., into a collective force that can be
a championship contender.
“My dad, obviously, he was my No. 1
mentor, someone who I could lean on, ask questions and he asked questions to
me,” the younger Silas said in a 2021 documentary that was produced by the
Rockets about his coaching journey. “He really valued my opinion, which was
kind of weird to me, me being so young and not having much experience.”
On Sunday, the NBA community said goodbye
to a tremendous figure in Paul Silas, who had an impactful career both on and
off the floor both as a player and coach. He played with an intensity on the
hardwood that made him a true standout. He coached in a way where he could get
after you if you were not living up to your potential as well as be someone
that can be in your corner when you need to be uplifted. Above all he was a
person who treated everyone how they would want to be treated. He raised his
two children in Paula and Stephen to be the same way and they have carried
themselves in a way that they have earned the same respect that their father
did.
"I'm very proud to be my dad's son," Silas said of his now late father Paul before the Rockets victory versus the Suns. "I'm very proud that people see him in me. And I want to continue. Whenever it is my time comes, I want people to say the same things that they said about him over the last couple of days about (me). And hopefully they'll do that."
Information and quotations are courtesy of 12/11/2022 www.nba.com story, “Michael Jordan, NBA Family React To Paul Silas’ Death; 12/12/2022 www.nba.com story “NBA Champion And Longtime Coach Paul Silas Dies At 79,” By Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press; 12/14/2022 12:30 a.m. "Inside the NBA," presented by Kia on TNT With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Silas; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Silas
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