Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced on Monday that Paul Silas has been fired as head coach and a search for his successor will begin immediately.

The Bobcats lost 23 games in a row to end the regular season, finishing with a 7-59 record. In the process, they attained the worst winning percentage for any franchise in one season (.106).

I would like to personally thank Paul for everything he has done for this team under some pretty unique circumstances, Higgins said. 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.

The 68-year-old Silas recently completed his first full season with the Bobcats, after being named interim coach on Dec. 22, 2010, and then having the interim title removed on Feb. 16, 2011. In his time with Charlotte, he compiled an overall record of 32-88 (.363), but failed to get the team to the playoffs after its last appearance in the 2010 NBA playoffs.

In 11 seasons as an NBA head coach, Silas has a career record of 377-531 with the San Diego Clippers (1980-83), Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets (1999-2003), Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-05) and Bobcats. He also spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach for the Hornets, Knicks, Nets and Suns.