Rockets' Stone on Silas departure: 'I would like to thank Stephen for his contributions to the team and the Houston community'

The Houston Rockets have officially parted ways with Stephen Silas, creating a vacancy in the head coach position for the first time since after the COVID-19 pandemic-affected 2019-2020 season.

The Rockets, who finished their third and final season with Silas with a 22-60 record and a chance to secure the No. 1 pick in the upcoming National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, elected not to pick up his fourth year option.

“On behalf of the Fertitta family and the entire Rockets organization, I would like to thank Stephen for his contributions to the team and the Houston community over the past three seasons,” general manager Rafael Stone, who came to Houston at the same time as Silas, said, per the franchise’s Twitter account.

Born in Boston and educated at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, the 49-year-old Silas was hired to succeed Mike D’Antoni, who helmed the bench from 2016 to 2020.

Silas inherited a squad with an uncertain future as superstar James Harden, then the Rockets’ floor general, made his demands to be traded elsewhere known.

After Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Silas led the Rockets to a 17-55 finish in what was the first year of an ongoing, arduous rebuilding period.

In the next two campaigns, Silas and Houston strung together a combined 42 wins, with the subsequent drafts netting guard Jalen Green and forward Jabari Smith, Jr.

A month into the just-concluded 2022-2023 season, Silas lost his father, former NBA player and coach Paul Silas, who died at the age of 79. 

ESPN reported that Silas viewed his Rockets tenure with pride.

"I wanted to be a head coach my whole life,” he said in the report. “I wanted to be like my dad. Proud of these guys, proud of their hard work, proud of their growth and maturity as they got through the season." 

Stone said he held Silas in “great respect,” per ESPN. 

“His character, leadership and positivity have been invaluable during this stage of our growth," Stone said.