Silas might be perfect for Bobcats

Stray thoughts, post-season version:         

• I don’t know whether Paul Silas will get the Bobcats’ coaching job, but I can vouch for how hard he’d work to succeed. In his mid-60s, this would be Silas’ last gig and he intends to live here permanently in that dream house he’s building on Lake Norman. In other words, he’d be vested in the responsibility of stabilizing the Bobcats in this community. Silas is a stand-up guy in a profession too populated by schemers and scammers.  Fans sometimes question how much of a strategist he was, coaching the Hornets. He might not be John Wooden, but Silas is excellent at managing players, and that counts for plenty. I remember Silas once telling me the secret to NBA coaching is managing the schedule; that it’s the fatigue and monotony of playing 82 games before the playoffs that wears out players. His teams were typically best in April and May because he didn’t burn them out in January and February. As far as his innate coaching ability, remember Silas once swept the Miami Heat out of the first round. Last I checked, the guy in front of the opposing bench, Pat Riley, was supposed to some kind of Hall of Famer.
• Speaking of Riley, his determination to stick with the old guys – Gary Payton, Antoine Walker and Alonzo Mourning – finally caught up with him, I guess. Maybe that’s why Riley was willing to part with Derek Anderson after last season. (Although clearly Anderson had plenty left.)
• I was surprised how little recognition Emeka Okafor got in balloting for the NBA’s all-defensive team. Okafor finished 10 spots out of either first or second team, as voted by the league’s head coaches. Certainly Tim Duncan and Ben Wallace are great defenders, but they didn’t impact their teams defensively any more than Okafor did. I guess you had to watch how awful the Bobcats were in those 15 games without Okafor to appreciate all the messes he cleaned up in the lane.
• No question the happiest man in the NBA right now has to be Golden State coach Don Nelson.          He isn’t particularly friendly these days with his former boss, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. One more Warriors victory and the Mavs are eliminated.         Wouldn’t that be something: Both of last season’s NBA Finals participants out in the first round.