(SportsRadio 610) - Stephen Silas wasn't in the building when the Rockets beat the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night, but he watched with pride on television.
"It was obviously a hard time for me and my family," Silas said. "But to watch these guys try their hardest and come together and play the game that they played just shows the character that's in that locker room."
Silas returned to the team for Tuesday's game against the Phoenix Suns after spending time with his family in North Carolina following the death of his father, Paul, on Saturday, and he admitted it wasn't easy to get back when he spoke to reporters.
"It's hard. It's really hard. It took a lot to come (for media availability), the basketball part is like riding a bike, ut this part, it's tough."
Silas has been inundated with messages since his father's passing, and tributes have come from across the NBA landscape, and he says that has helped the grieving process.
"It's been really helpful for not just me. My mom, my sister, my wife, my brother in law, we've been spending a lot of time together for the last 72 hours, and just to see the outpouring of love for my dad, the respect that people have, and the cool thing was, it's not so much about the basketball player he was or the coach that he was, it is so much more about the person that he was."
Paul Silas was a two-time All-Star and a three-time champion during his 17-year NBA career, and he was a head coach for 12 years with the San Diego Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Bobcats.