Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich Says Patience Is Key For Rockets' Stephen Silas

Spurs coach and future Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich said patience is key to long-term success for Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas.

HOUSTON — A win streak has been rare for Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas over the previous three seasons. But when he left the Toyota Center Sunday night, Silas had a chance to enjoy the Rockets' second consecutive win following a 142-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

The win gave Silas his 52nd career victory. A feat coach Gregg Popovich has reached 19 times throughout his historic career by winning 50 or more games in a single season.

Popovich believes Silas has the qualities to become a great coach. He said establishing standards and holding players accountable are important. But Popovich shared that patience is the most vital attributes for a coach and franchise hoping to create long-term success. 

"The biggest cautious is not to skip steps because you are in a hurry to get to the next stage," Popovich said. "It takes all of the building blocks like developing guys individually and learning from losing. All of the work that takes place demands patience. If that's the beginning, then coach [Silas] would be in good shape." 

Before he became the winningest coach in league history, patience was the first and most vital lesson for Popovich.

When he took over as head coach in San Antonio, the Spurs won 17 games during the 1996-97 season.

Nearly two decades later, which included five championships and 1,359 career wins, Popovich had to rely upon his coaching roots of patience to help withstand the premature stages of the Spurs' current rebuild.

San Antonio, 16-49, are on the verge of its second-worst record with Popovich at the helm after back-to-back losses to the Rockets.

Silas has been keen on the significance of patience but revealed it's difficult when guiding a franchise three years into a rebuild. Silas wishes he could speed up the learning curve for instant success but says any sense of tension could hamper the development and play of his young players. 

But patience is one of several attributes Silas says coaches try to emulate when striving to be like Popovich. 

"He is as adaptable as they come," Silas said. "Regardless of the situation, he'll figure it out. Whatever the roster kind of dictates, he's a genius at making them the best version of themselves.

"He also has a way of being incredibly honest while also allowing the players to know that he cares a lot about them. So those are two things that are important, I think, not just for me but for every coach."

In the twilight of Popovich's career, the future Hall-of-Famer has left an immortal blueprint for coaches to follow. 

Some coaches' lack of patience would divert them from Popovich's layout. But as a student in his own right, Silas has used Popovich's teachings as the groundwork for his respective career. A career that would one day feature Silas walking out of NBA arenas accustomed to winning streaks. 

"He is the best," Silas said. "The best ever...I think every coach can look at Pop and pick things that he does and the things that he has done over the years and become better as a result."

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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