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Stephen Silas’ tenure as Houston Rockets coach comes to an end

The Houston Rockets plan to part ways with coach Stephen Silas when general manager Rafael Stone meets with Silas on Monday, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly until the team announced the decision.

Silas still had one year of option on his contract and the Rockets will refuse to resume the fourth season. Silas will be a sought-after assistant for teams looking to improve their offense.

Silas, the son of former NBA player and coach Paul Silas, was 59-177 in his three seasons with the Rockets. He came to Houston from Dallas, where he was a top assistant to then-Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. Silas was partly responsible for the development of Luka Doncic and the improvement of the Mavs’ offense.

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Rockets coach Stephen Silas responds to challenges to an official call during a game last week against the Nuggets.Rockets coach Stephen Silas responds to challenges to an official call during a game last week against the Nuggets.

Rockets coach Stephen Silas responds to challenges to an official call during a game last week against the Nuggets.

But in Houston, with a young team, Silas struggled to gain the necessary buy-in. The Rockets were 22-60 this season with a 27th-ranked offense, a 29th-ranked defense and a 29th-ranked net rating.

The Rockets have some talented young players (Jalen Green, Kevin Porter, Jr., Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith and Tari Eason), but that hasn’t translated into NBA success. Houston will add to that list a lottery pick, potentially the No. 1 overall pick, and another first-round pick in June’s draft.

Houston’s next coach has a tall task: trying to turn around a franchise that hasn’t won more than 22 games in the past three seasons. But there are several viable candidates, including former Boston coach Ime Udoka, who could also draw interest from Detroit, which won’t bring back Dwane Casey.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Houston Rockets part ways with coach Stephen Silas after 3 seasons