By the time Paul Silas joined the Seattle SuperSonics during the summer of 1977 in a trade with the Denver Nuggets, the 34-year-old had already had a distinguished career. A two-time All-Star despite being an undersized 6-7 power forward, Silas was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team five times, including two first-team appearances. Additionally, Silas had been a part of two NBA Champion teams during his four years in Boston before being traded to Denver.

Despite his age and accomplishments, Silas had plenty left to give to the Sonics. He proved it during three years of doing the dirty work off the bench for the team. Silas’ numbers are not overwhelming, but he was a critical part of the Sonics team that twice advanced to the NBA Finals and brought the city of Seattle its only major professional sports championship.

Silas brings the same intensity to the sideline he displayed on the court.

Oddly enough, one of Silas’ best moves for the Sonics might have been his willingness to go to the bench. Silas began the 1977-78 season in the starting lineup under Coach Bob Hopkins, but the team started the year a disappointing 5-17. Silas recalls being mocked by opponents. “I can remember playing against Denver, who we were traded from, Marvin Webster and myself,” he says. “and the players were saying they felt sorry for Bob Hopkins, who was coaching at that time, had to coach this bunch of dogs.” After 22 games, Hopkins was out and Lenny Wilkens – whom Silas had teamed with on the St. Louis Hawks early in his career – was in. Immediately, Wilkens made changes to the starting lineup, including moving Silas to the bench in favor of a rookie named Jack Sikma.

Silas gives credit to the changes for improving the team. He explains, “You had your rebounding, you had a guy who could initiate, you had your running, you had Freddy (Brown) and I coming off the bench to help depth. So it all worked.” Equally as important as the changes on the court was the change in attitude Wilkens brought off of it. “What I really got from him was the positive attitude that he had,” Silas says. “If he hadn’t had that, there’s no way we could have snapped out of those doldrums.”

They did snap out of their doldrums, and went on to play in the NBA Finals against the Washington Bullets, the third Finals appearance of Silas’ career. He played a key role, with a main focus on rebounding. Silas averaged 8.1 rebounds per game, third on the team, in barely more than 25 minutes. In the playoffs, he upped those marks to 8.5 rebounds per game and second place on the team. One of the victims was Silas’ old team, the Denver Nuggets, in the Western Conference Finals. “There was no way I was going to lose to them,” Silas says.

The Sonics went on to lose to the Bullets, four games to three, but that only made them more confident they’d be back a year later. “We knew when we lost that first championship that we were going to win in the next year,” Silas remembers.

With Lonnie Shelton replacing Marvin Webster in the starting lineup, the Sonics made that prophecy a reality. Silas continued to play an important role, averaging 5.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as the Sonics set a club record with 52 regular-season wins. In the Western Conference Finals, they overcame a scare from another of Silas’ old teams, the Phoenix Suns, to set up a rematch with the Bullets. This time, it was no contest, as the Sonics won four games to one.

Though it was Silas’ third championship, it was perhaps the most special. “The championships that I won in Boston were really great,” he says now, “but I’d have to say that this was really special because I was older, I was the leader of the team, and they followed my lead.” That leadership does not show up in Silas’ stats, but it was critical nonetheless. Dennis Johnson, who shot 0-for-14 in game seven of the 1978 Finals and came back to be named MVP of them in 1979, remembers Silas in particular consoling him in the locker room.

Silas learned from teammate and coach Lenny Wilkens the importance of being positive.

Silas played one last season in Seattle as the Sonics set another record for most wins with 56 before falling in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. Silas’ minutes dropped to just less than 20 per game, and he shot 30.2% from the field during the playoffs. The end of Silas’ stellar 16-year career was clearly near.

Following the conclusion of the 1980 playoffs, Silas signed a contract with the San Diego Clippers to become their player-coach. He never ended up playing a game with the Clippers, but did coach them for three seasons, compiling a record of 78-168 and never finishing better than fifth in the Pacific. Despite the fact that no other coach was able to find much more success with the Clippers organization, Silas’ reputation was tarnished. He spent most of the 1990s bouncing around as an assistant coach for several teams – New Jersey, New York, Phoenix and Charlotte – before a seemingly perfect opportunity opened up.

After the Sonics coaching job opened up in 1998, Silas was one of the top candidates for the position. Because of his playing experience in Seattle and dutiful service as an assistant, Silas felt the job was his. Instead, the Sonics decided to hire another experienced coach who had played with the team, Paul Westphal – whom Silas had played with in Boston and coached under for part of the 1995-96 season in Phoenix. “I thought that was my time, but it wasn’t,” Silas recalls wistfully.

He didn’t have to wait long for another opportunity to open up. After 24 games of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, Hornets Coach Dave Cowens resigned and Silas was named to replace him. At the time, Charlotte was 4-11, but Silas performed a similar turnaround to the one he’d experienced as a player. The Hornets ended the season 26-24 (22-13 under Silas) and just missed the playoffs.

That season laid the groundwork for Silas’ successful run with the Hornets. Over the last three years, the team has gone 139-107 and made the playoffs each season, twice advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The team’s performance under Silas is all the more impressive because of the distractions he’s had to overcome, including the tragic death of guard Bobby Phills during the 1999-2000 season and the franchise’s move to New Orleans.

Prior to the 2003-04 season, Silas was chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers to be rookie phenom LeBron James' first NBA coach. Silas already has the Cavs, who won just 17 games last season, in playoff contention this year, as he looks to lead them to the same championship heights he reached as a player. That would only add to an NBA career that is clearly distinguished.