In a new interview, former Rockets guard John Wall had harsh things to say about his two seasons (2020-21, 2021-22) in Houston. Only in the first of those two years was Wall an active player.
Among many accusations, Wall was critical of the ongoing rebuild — which he referred to as “tanking” for draft picks, starting in 2020-21 — and whether the associated team culture has led to bad habits being acquired by young players such as Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green.
One day later, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas addressed those allegations in an interview with Matt Thomas of SportsTalk 790. Thomas is also the team’s radio play-by-play broadcaster.
Among Silas’ comments:
When we go out every night, we’re trying to win a basketball game. And we prepare the same way that I prepared when I was working for perennial playoff teams. We have the same expectations for play. We do things in a manner that is putting us in the direction to win every single night that we’re out there.
Is that going to happen? No. We’re a young team, we have 19- and 20-, 21-year-old guys who emotionally they go up and down, and with their games, there is going to be inconsistency.
Here’s @HoustonRockets Coach Stephen Silas on John Wall’s comments pertaining to the team’s culture & what he told Jalen Green & KPJ #Rockets
Hear the entire interview with @SportsMT & @SportsRV here: https://t.co/Bv4XKtsdPu pic.twitter.com/AUnCV1836g
— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) January 18, 2023
Silas also elaborated on the difficult conversations he had with Wall regarding his role with the team or lack thereof.
It wasn’t a perfect situation for anybody. There were some things that obviously at the beginning of the season when we decided as an organization we were going to rebuild and build around (Porter) and (Green) as our starting two guards, that made it hard for John. And the conversations I had with John about possibly coming off the bench or being around and being supportive, they were difficult conversations.
But the ultimate decision was that he was going to be here, he was going to work out. He wasn’t going to practice with the team, because, you know, the practice time was the most important thing for those young guards.
The full interview can be listened to here.
Silas and the Rockets (10-34), who entered Wednesday having lost 11 straight games and 16 of their last 17, overall, look to turn things around starting tonight versus Charlotte. The tip in the friendly confines of Toyota Center is 7 p.m. Central.
“The best teacher is experience, and that’s what they’re getting right now,” Silas concluded. “You don’t look at certain guys around the league, and just because they went through a rebuild, they have a losing attitude. There have been teams that have done it before.”
