CHARLOTTE, March 8 -- Paul Silas, who played on two NBA championship teams with Dave Cowens, today (Monday) was named to succeed his long-time friend on an interim basis as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. Cowens resigned Sunday. Cowens, who guided the Hornets to 105 wins and a pair of postseason appearances in his first two seasons, said last month he did not expect to be back next season. His angst was primarily due to his salary. At a reported $675,000 annually, Cowens was the lowest-paid among all 29 NBA coaches. He was offered an extension by Hornets owner George Shinn during the offseason, but that offer was taken off the table by Shinn, who reportedly felt Cowens was unappreciative. Silas inherits a team that is just 4-11 and has wracked by injuries. 'This team now has to concentrate on winning some ballgames,' Silas said. 'That is the No. 1 concern for the players and the coaching staff. The team will continue to bring forth the same effort we have all season and we shouldn't expect anything less.' Silas teamed with Cowens to help the Celtics win NBA titles in 1974 and '76, and after 16 years the duo reunited last season when Silas became a Hornets assistant. Silas had a 16-year NBA career, including a four-year stint (1972- 1976) in Boston. He played the last three years of his career inSeattle, where he won a third NBA championship in 1979. After retiring following the 1979-80 season, he immediately became coach of the San Diego Clippers.
In three seasons, he had an overall record of 78-168. He has also been an assistant with the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns, working under such coaches as Hall of Famer Chuck Daly when he was with the Nets and Pat Riley when he was in New York. 'Paul Silas has the basketball knowledge and the respect of our players to lead this team,' said Charlotte vice president of basketball operations Bob Bass. 'The Hornets have been playing hard all season long and will continue to do so under Paul Silas.' On Sunday, Bass responded to Cowens' resignation by saying, 'This is a mutual understanding between both parties. The option year of Dave's contract has been terminated and he is free of any contractual obligations to the club.' Charlotte went 51-31 during the 1997-98 campaign, but severe injuries to starting forward Glen Rice and Anthony Mason before the season began put the Hornets behind the eight-ball from the outset. Rice, an All-Star and the team's leading scorer, is expected to be fully recovered from elbow surgery in the next two weeks, but he may have already played his last game in a Hornets uniform. For weeks, it has been speculated that he will be trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. Mason is out for the season with a ruptured bicep tendon, and guards B.J. Armstrong and Eldridge Recasner have been sidelined for extended stretches as well. It has not helped that Shinn has been a spend thrift. The Hornets lost free agent centers Vlade Divac and Matt Geiger to large offers from others teams and, whether he is trade or not, Rice appears headed in the same direction. He wants a contract extension averaging $10 million per season. Cowens, who is on the list of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, compiled a record of 109-70 in two-plus seasons with the Hornets. He was a player-coach for 68 games with Boston in the 1978-79 season.
