Bobcats Hire Silas

The Charlotte Bobcats no longer have an interim coach. Paul Silas is now the coach. The team announced Wednesday that it's signed Silas to a contract extension. Silas took over as interim coach in late December after former coach Larry Brown resigned. At the time, the Bobcats were floundering with a 9-19 record. But the team has played at a different tempo since Silas arrived. They've gone 15-13 and are now competing for a playoff spot. Silas says in a Bobcats PR video that he didn't expect team management to approach him so soon about signing an extension. "When they approached me about it, it was a surprise, but I'm happy they did. Now I'm confident we can get something done this year, but the following year we should do even better." The contract extension is only for one year. Silas is 67 and had been out of coaching for five years when the Bobcats called him. Still, he's a familiar name. Silas coached the old Charlotte Hornets from 1999 to 2003. He was already living in the Charlotte area when he accepted the interim coaching job.