‘I missed them’: Stephen Silas rejoins Rockets after extended absence

HOUSTON — The Rockets welcomed back a familiar person at Wednesday’s practice, and it was a voice they had missed hearing and had not heard in a while. Head coach Stephen Silas conducted practice for the first time in over a week after he was placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols due to a case of COVID-19.

“COVID is no joke,” said Silas to the media. “It wasn’t the greatest experience going through it, but I feel good now.”

During his absence, assistant coach John Lucas II took over his lead duties and led the team to a 1-1 record in the two preseason games versus Toronto and Miami. Even though Silas was not physically around the team, he kept in constant contact with Lucas and other assistants to let them know he was okay and recovering well.

“Lucas has been here, [he’s] done that more than me,” Silas said of Lucas, who was previously a head coach with three other NBA teams. “The way he is with the guys, the communication that he has, the responsibility that he has on a daily basis, even when I’m here… I’m completely comfortable with him taking over the reins.”

During his conversations with Lucas, there was some practice and game planning going on, but his main objective was to make sure that the coaching staff ⁠— along with the team ⁠— knew Silas was battling through the adversity he was experiencing.

Even though he always has an upbeat demeanor, Silas confessed to the media that his mood was not the greatest during his 10 days of isolation. Despite a (joking) suggestion from Lucas, Silas said he did not map out game plans for the Rockets through December.

“The hardest part was not seeing them and not being around them,” said Rockets head coach Stephen Silas as he returned to the team after missing time due to being in the NBA’s health and safety protocol. #LightTheFuse #Sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/hXtL9b50Bn

— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) October 13, 2022

“I was stressed out about my numbers,” Silas said about not meeting testing requirements to get out of the NBA’s COVID protocols early. “I couldn’t pass the test, and I was mad that I couldn’t pass the test, which was completely out of my control.”

“The first few days, I was just angry,” Silas elaborated. “Afterwards, I can’t control what the tests are going to say, I can’t watch every ounce of film every single day. I can watch something on Netflix, take it easy, relax a little bit. I didn’t do what Lucas said about planning every single day, but for a couple of days, I did.”

With a team full of players that are young enough to be his kids, Silas has developed a special bond with them, both on and off the court. The players speak highly of him, knowing he has their best interests at heart. That is why going through COVID-19 in the preseason was so difficult, as he knew he was missing developmental time.

“I told the guys that the hardest part was not seeing them and not being around them,” a smiling Silas told reporters. “The practices, it is what it is, the drills and the games and stuff. But just being around these guys, they’re such a fun group. I missed them.”

Houston will have one more practice at Toyota Center before they head to Indiana for Friday’s final preseason game.