Paul Silas, who survived his trial as the Charlotte Hornets' interim coach, can empathize with Don Chaney and the job he faces with the New York Knicks.

"Being an interim coach is the hardest thing you can ever do; everything is stacked against you," Silas said yesterday, a day before the Knicks were to play the Hornets in the Charlotte Coliseum.

Silas is one of the few coaches who have managed to get the word "interim" removed from his title. In 1999, he took over the job in Charlotte after Dave Cowens abruptly quit. The Hornets, 4-11 at the time, turned things around to finish 26-24 in the lockout-shortened season and miss the playoffs by one game. Silas was named head coach at the end of the season.

Silas said he couldn't have gotten the job if not for the determination of players such as the late Bobby Phills, as well as Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, who were traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Hornets that year.

"You almost have to have one guy who won't let you lose, and I had that in Bobby Phills," Silas said. "Plus, we got those guys in a trade with Los Angeles who had something to prove. Everything fell into place."

So far, things haven't fallen into place for Chaney. The Knicks are 1-4 since he took over for Jeff Van Gundy, who quit on Dec. 8.

Silas is connected to both men. He worked with Van Gundy on Pat Riley's staff in New York and played with Chaney in Boston in the 1970s.

The transition from assistant to head coach can be hard, Silas said.