Silas send-off

Despite success, Hornets won't renew coach's contract

Paul Silas guided the Hornets to four consecutive playoff appearances. Gregory Shamus/NBAE/Getty Images

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Paul Silas was fired as coach of the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday after five seasons in which he set the franchise record for victories.

The Hornets went 47-35 this season, finishing third in the Central Division. They were knocked out of the playoffs Friday night, eliminated in the first round in six games by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Silas said he received a phone call Sunday from team co-owner Ray Wooldridge, who said the Hornets would not renew his contract.

"The decision was made for me. It was a little surprising, but they have the right to make their own decisions," Silas said. "We had a good ride, and I appreciate the opportunity they gave me."

He leaves with an overall mark of 208-155 with the Hornets, who moved from Charlotte to New Orleans after last season.

Silas took the Hornets to the playoffs each of the past four seasons, but they never advanced beyond the second round.

NBA coaching changes Since start of 2002-03 season Team  Coach  Replacement  Date  Atl L. Kruger T. Stotts Dec. 26 Cle J. Lucas K. Smart Jan. 20 LAC A. Gentry D. Johnson Mar. 3 Mem S. Lowe H. Brown Nov. 13 Tor L. Wilkens TBA Apr. 17 NO P. Silas TBA May 4

The Hornets said in a news release that Silas' coaching staff also would not return next season.

"We would like to thank Paul and his staff for all their efforts and hard work during their coaching tenure and with them the very best in their future opportunities," team majority owner George Shinn said.

Silas said he was glad the Hornets told him of their decision so quickly, so he will have time to look for a coaching job elsewhere for next season.

The only other NBA team without a coach right now is the Toronto Raptors, who fired Lenny Wilkens right after the regular season ended.

Silas was popular among fans and his players with the Hornets. Starting point guard Baron Davis and others said after their final game that they wanted Silas to return next year.

Silas' record Year  Team  W  L  Pct  Regular Season            80-81  San Diego  36  46  .439  81-82  San Diego  17  65  .207  82-83  San Diego  25  57  .305  98-99  Charlotte  22  13  .629  99-00  Charlotte  49  33  .598  00-01  Charlotte  46  36  .561  01-02  Charlotte  44  38  .537  02-03  New Orleans  47  35  .573  Totals  -  286  323  .470                Playoffs            99-00  Charlotte  1  3  .250  00-01  Charlotte  6  4  .600  01-02  Charlotte  4  5  .444  02-03  New Orleans  2  4  .333  Totals  -  13  16  .448

Most players were out of town or unreachable Sunday.

Silas and Shinn worked on a contract extension before the past season, but were unable to reach an agreement. Once the season started, Shinn and Silas said they would stop negotiating until the season's end.

Silas was earning about $1.5 million per season.

Silas said as recently as the final playoff game on Friday that he loved New Orleans and was optimistic something could be worked out.

The past season was the team's first since moving from Charlotte, where the owners became notorious for letting go popular players, such as Alonzo Mourning, for financial reasons. They said it was difficult to remain financially competitive because of Charlotte's outdated arena, which had only 12 luxury suites.

The main reason the team moved to New Orleans was the city's new arena, which has many more suites, high-priced club seats and other revenue-generating amenities that NBA owners say are needed to stay financially competitive.

 

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