Ex-Lakers Coach, Former Rockets Star Among Candidates For Head Coaching Vacancy In Houston

The Houston Rockets are rebuilding, but they need an exemplary coach to place them in the right direction.

This was after the NBA club cut ties with Stephen Silas after three seasons.

The Rockets finished the season with a 22-60 win-loss record in the Western Conference, tied with the San Antonio Spurs.

Silas ended his stint as Rockets coach with a franchise-worst 59-177 record. However, the 49-year-old admitted that he was in an unusual situation with circumstances changing.

Nevertheless, he did the necessary adjustment to do the best he could.

"The circumstances changed drastically from the day I got hired to the first couple of weeks of the season. Were they fair? I would say they were not, but I adjusted because the players were counting on me to get things done and lead them," Silas, the son of the late coach Paul Silas, stated as quoted by USA Today.

Moving forward, two names have emerged as possible replacements for Silas.

One of them is former Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Most will remember Vogel as someone who managed to lead the Lakers to an NBA title in 2020, but things just turned sour after that and the 49-year-old ended up getting fired in 2021.

Before becoming the head coach of the Purple and Gold, Vogel drew attention when he coached the Indiana Pacers and led the team to the NBA playoffs five or six times.

Should he be the next coach of the Rockets, Vogel finds himself in another different situation However, he will have a lot of young talented players who he can guide to stardom.

Another potential candidate who may be familiar to the Rockets is Sam Cassell.

Per Jonathan Feign of The Houston Chronicle, the Philadelphia 76ers have allowed the 53-year-old to interview for the head coaching position.

Cassell has been working under Sixers head coach Doc Rivers since the 2014-15 season with the Los Angeles Clippers and now the Sixers.

The basketball legend played for the Rockets from 1993 to 1996, where he won two NBA titles with the franchise (1994 and 1995).

He won his third NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 2008.

Aside from the Clippers and Sixers, Cassell also served as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards from 2009 to 2014.