Detroit — New Pistons coach Monty Williams is starting to assemble his coaching staff.
The Pistons reportedly are adding former Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas as the top assistant coach on Williams’ staff, a league source confirmed to The Detroit News on Monday.
Silas, 49, is the son of former NBA All-Star and head coach Paul Silas. He has extensive experience as an assistant, which includes stops in Dallas, Cleveland and Golden State. Most notably, Silas spent 10 of his 20 seasons as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets, from 2000-02 and 2010-18.
The news of Silas’ addition was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Silas is coming off his first stint as a head coach in Houston, but he was fired after three seasons. His Rockets team posted the second-worst record in the league this season, at 22-60, behind the Pistons’ mark of 17-65. Overall, he compiled a 59-177 record in his tenure in Houston.
The Pistons announced Williams as the franchise’s new head coach on Friday night. He signed a record-breaking six-year deal worth $78.5 million, tying him to the franchise through the 2028-29 season. It’s the largest coaching contract in NBA history and it includes team options and incentives, which could make the deal worth nearly $100 million.
Williams initially planned to take a season off from coaching, but Pistons team owner Tom Gores and the rest of the Pistons’ front office ramped up their pursuit of the former Coach of the Year with a generous offer over Memorial Day weekend, which was signed on Thursday.
Williams and Silas shared an emotional embrace in December when the Rockets defeated the Phoenix Suns, which was Silas’ first game following the death of his father, Paul Silas.
Silas, a Boston native, played college basketball at Brown and earned bachelor’s degrees in sociology and management. Prior to his coaching career, he spent three years as the assistant executive director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association in Providence, Rhode Island.
Yahoo Sports also reported that Phoenix Suns assistant coach Jarrett Jack could be a priority for Williams’ coaching staff. Jack played 13 seasons in the NBA from 2005-18.
Former Pistons coach Dwane Casey had a coaching staff that included Rex Kalamian, Jerome Allen, Jim Moran and Bill Bayno. Kalamian and Allen reportedly received consideration during the first round of interviews in the Pistons’ extensive coaching search.
Additional assistants and player development coaches included Brandon Bailey, Keith Bogans, Jordan Brink, Brittni Donaldson, Austin Dufault, Drew Jones, Rashard Lewis and D.J. Bakker, who also serves as the head coach of the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ G League affiliate.
Lewis and Bogans, who both had lengthy NBA careers, joined Detroit’s coaching staff last season, alongside Bailey. Former Michigan coach John Beilein also has served as a senior advisor of player development since 2021.
It is unclear if anyone from Casey’s coaching staff will be retained, but with Silas on board as Williams’ top assistant, the Pistons are aggressively piecing together their staff.
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2