Paul Silas apparently won’t be back next season as the coach for Charlotte Bobcats. Given that he only won seven games last season, I seriously doubt anyone is going to complain much about his departure. However, I’m sure there are some hardcore Silas fans trolling the ‘net these days, so please don’t crucify me if I don’t see the bigger picture. I understand Silas didn’t have much to work with in terms of players, but 59 loses is still 59 loses.
During the 12 years he’s been coaching professional basketball, Silas has helped guide four teams, including the Clippers, the Hornets, the Cavaliers, and, most recently, Michael Jordan’s Bobcats. His all-time record currently stands at 387-488.
It’s been reported that, after making some questionable trades starting in 2010, Silas was coaching one of the “least-experienced, least-talented” teams in the entire history of the NBA. That’s a pretty impressive feat by anyone’s standards, though I doubt it will help him land a job down the road. When you lose 23 games in a row, there’s a strong possibility that most people won’t want to give you the time of day. Of course, his previous glories may outweigh his time spent with the Bobcats. For Silas’ sake, I certainly hope so.
“I would like to personally thank Paul for everything he has done for this team under some pretty unique circumstances,” Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins said in a prepared statement. “His basketball experience as a coach and a player speak for themselves. We have been fortunate to have someone of his character associated with this franchise and we hope he will continue to be a valuable resource to us in the future.”
Twitter reaction to the news has been snarky, at best. When you end the season with the lowest winning percentage in league history, it’s hard for people not to crack wise on the internet. Still, there’s been overwhelming support for the ousted coach, which just proves that not everyone enjoys kicking people when they’re down.
What? Paul Silas fired after leading the Bobcats to the worst winning percentage in NBA history? #racism
Not his fault, good coach, much respect to paul silas. But he shoulda been fired the day he thought about lettin his son coach #bobcats
Paul Silas fired. I hate to see him go out like that but it’s probably best Charlotte starts fresh with new everything.
for a second- forgot about shortened season RT @jbayless81 Paul Silas deserves NBA Coach of the Year for winning seven games with that team
Paul Silas is out as Bobcats head coach…I guess 7 wins just doesn’t cut it anymore in the NBA.