Rockets GM Stone not committed to small-ball approach

The Houston Rockets' new head coach Stephen Silas found out during his introductory press conference that the team's brain trust isn't necessarily committed to last year's unique "Pocket Rockets" small-ball approach.

"We're definitely not going into this offseason saying, you know, 'We don't want anyone over 6-foot-7,'" general manager Rafael Stone said Thursday. "We want really good basketball players. It won't come as a shock that we're not interested in people who are tall but not good at basketball, but we're definitely not wed to anything."

Under former general manager Daryl Morey and former head coach Mike D'Antoni, the Rockets traded away center Clint Capela in February, netting forward Robert Covington in return and dramatically changing the team's size profile. Following the trade, the Rockets' de facto starting center was 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker.

Stone evidently learned plenty from Morey, who left Houston last month to run the Philadelphia 76ers' front office. In particular, Stone appears to have inherited his former boss' fondness for seeking out big roster moves.

"I feel like, collectively, we've really impacted the game and the way it's played, and we've been really, really aggressive as a group," Stone said. "And we're going to continue to be extraordinarily aggressive. We're going to shoot for it."

For his part, Silas, who most recently served on Rick Carlisle's Dallas Mavericks coaching staff, is excited to be taking over a team boasting star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook - and deep playoff aspirations.

"For me, it being my first head coaching experience and being in a win-now situation, that's great," Silas said. "I'm a win-now coach. So to not have to deal with growing and all that type of stuff, to think championship right away, is exciting for me. And I'm prepared for it and ready for it."