Five things to know about Stephen Silas
The Oklahoman is highlighting one Thunder head coaching candidate per day as the search for Billy Donovan' s replacement continues.
Here are five things you need to know about Stephen Silas:
Growing up in the game
Silas was born in Boston in 1973 when his dad, Paul Silas, was playing for the Celtics.
Paul Silas played 16 years in the NBA from 1964-80. The 6-foot-7 forward was a twotime All-Star and was named to five All-Defense teams.
Silas won NBA championships with the Celtics in 1974 and 1976 and with the SuperSonics in 1979.
College career
Stephen Si las attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
He played for the Bears from 1992-96, averaging 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds for his career.
Silas graduated from the Ivy League school in 1996 with degrees in sociology and management.
He stayed in Providence for three more years, working as the assistant executive director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association.
Coaching path
Paul Si las was named head coach of the San Diego Clippers soon after retiring in 1980. He would later coach in Charlotte, New Orleans and Cleveland, with several assistant coaching stops in between.
Stephen Silas also wanted to become a coach.
He joined the original
Charlotte Hornets( now Pelicans) in 2000 as an assistant coach under his dad.
“To be Paul Silas' s on in the world of basketball wasn't necessarily something I wanted to do right away, but it was a way in,” Stephen Silas told SB Nation in 2017. “Being my dad's son has always been great. That's one thing I've just had to deal with.”
The Cavaliers hired Paul Silas in 2003 — LeBron James' rookie season in Cleveland. Once again, Stephen Silas served on his dad's staff.
Stephen Silas spent two seasons with the Cavaliers, and after a brief scouting stint with the Wizards, the Warriors hired Silas in 2006 as an assistant coach. He spent four and a half seasons in Golden State on Don Nelson's staff.
Silas returned to Charlotte in 2010, where he spent the next eight seasons as an assistant.
Mavericks offense
The 19-year NBA assistant has spent the last two seasons in Dallas on Rick Carlisle's staff.
Silas, known as an offensive-minded coach, helped lead the Mavericks to the most-efficient offensive season in NBA history.
Dallas scored 115.9 points per 1 00 possessions. The Clippers had the secondbest offense last season, scoring 113.3 points per 100 possession.
Next step
Silas is one of three finalis ts, along with Jeff Van Gundy and John Lucas, for the Rockets head coaching job, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston.
Si las reportedly interviewed with the Bulls before Chicago hired Donovan.