Ime Udoka Thread
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
 
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> General Basketball Discussion Reply to topic
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
JUST-MING
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 43951

PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 7:28 am    Post subject:

Both reports sound plausible

https://twitter.com/ANotNormalLad1/status/1573496799540690945

https://twitter.com/khaled74/status/1576095639645016064

In fact, they don't contradict each other. I should mention Ime's salary was cut in half. Boston would have to pay his full salary had they fired him and he could have landed another head coaching job right away, the suspension means he won't get a new coaching job any time soon.

Derek Fisher never got another coaching job after the affair with Matt Barnes' wife.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 7:39 am    Post subject:

Fisher isn’t as good a coach as Ime is. However this explains why Matt Barnes backtracked his defense of him. That being said Doug Collins allegedly was fired by the Bulls for something similar and still got coaching gigs. He’s white though. Despite the griminess they were two wins from a title kind of impressive. I do think the Spurs would welcome him back…
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
ChefLinda
Moderator
Moderator


Joined: 20 Sep 2006
Posts: 24113
Location: Boston

PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:38 am    Post subject:

The part I would be concerned about if I were going to hire him, is the obvious self-destructive, playing-with-fire element to his personality. He plays around. Fine, whatever. But why do it at work? Why do it with multiple employees who will eventually find out about one another? And after having been caught by your employer and warned, you up the ante by not only doing it again -- but with the owner's wife!

That's some serious emotional issues going on. Whether it's sex-addiction, addiction to danger, problem with impulse control, immaturity, whatever. Those are really not qualities that enhance getting hired again.

There are lots of women who he could have slept with outside of work and none of that would have gotten him suspended or fired. I'm pretty there is a very high percentage of NBA players/coaches getting action on the side and most manage not to turn it into a career threatening drama.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:36 am    Post subject:

ChefLinda wrote:
The part I would be concerned about if I were going to hire him, is the obvious self-destructive, playing-with-fire element to his personality. He plays around. Fine, whatever. But why do it at work? Why do it with multiple employees who will eventually find out about one another? And after having been caught by your employer and warned, you up the ante by not only doing it again -- but with the owner's wife!

That's some serious emotional issues going on. Whether it's sex-addiction, addiction to danger, problem with impulse control, immaturity, whatever. Those are really not qualities that enhance getting hired again.

There are lots of women who he could have slept with outside of work and none of that would have gotten him suspended or fired. I'm pretty there is a very high percentage of NBA players/coaches getting action on the side and most manage not to turn it into a career threatening drama.


I agree with you its a legit concern. Its possible with the public embarrassment this has caused he might change his ways as it will follow him everywhere he goes but if this doesn't do it nothing will tbh.

I do think he figured coworkers would be more discreet than if he hooked up with some random after all married women don't want to tell either... but there was also a dangerous element he got off on.

I just noticed with the Spurs he lasted a long time as an assistant coach and I don't recall hearing these type of stories either they weren't as messy or as an assistant he didn't get nearly as caught up.. he definitely has self destructive tendencies that's for sure.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
venturalakersfan
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 14 Apr 2001
Posts: 144432
Location: The Gold Coast

PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:32 am    Post subject:

JUST-MING wrote:
Both reports sound plausible

https://twitter.com/ANotNormalLad1/status/1573496799540690945

https://twitter.com/khaled74/status/1576095639645016064

In fact, they don't contradict each other. I should mention Ime's salary was cut in half. Boston would have to pay his full salary had they fired him and he could have landed another head coaching job right away, the suspension means he won't get a new coaching job any time soon.

Derek Fisher never got another coaching job after the affair with Matt Barnes' wife.


He wouldn’t have gotten another coaching job immediately, he will be lucky to ever work in the NBA again.
_________________
RIP mom. 11-21-1933 to 6-14-2023.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 11:58 am    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
JUST-MING wrote:
Both reports sound plausible

https://twitter.com/ANotNormalLad1/status/1573496799540690945

https://twitter.com/khaled74/status/1576095639645016064

In fact, they don't contradict each other. I should mention Ime's salary was cut in half. Boston would have to pay his full salary had they fired him and he could have landed another head coaching job right away, the suspension means he won't get a new coaching job any time soon.

Derek Fisher never got another coaching job after the affair with Matt Barnes' wife.



He wouldn’t have gotten another coaching job immediately, he will be lucky to ever work in the NBA again.



Take it you never heard of the rumored reason Doug Collins was really fired from the Bulls..

That being said Doug is white he'll get more leeway than Ime a black man sleeping with the wife of a rich white man (in Boston no less). They will put him in his place.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Mon Oct 03, 2022 4:07 pm    Post subject:

https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/marcus-smart-sounds-off-on-celtics-silence-thats-why-you-have-your-lawyers/

Quote:
Marcus Smart Sounds off on Celtics’ Silence: ‘That’s Why You Have Your Lawyers’


Even as the Celtics got down to basketball with their NBA preseason opener Sunday, they seem resigned to the fact that mystery will be part of the club — just as sure as if it were holding down a spot on the roster.


The oddity of Ime Udoka‘s absence was brought into the Garden when public address announcer Eddie Palladino introduced “the coach of the Boston Celtics, Joe Mazzulla.”

The team has announced that Udoka’s suspension is for the entire season and that it is based on multiple violations of team policies, with sources confirming they are related to improper behavior toward a team employee. Udoka has accepted the punishment.

In an effort to handle things correctly from a legal standpoint, the club has not divulged details of Udoka’s transgressions, going as far as to offer no further explanation to the players.


There are, again, legal reasons for keeping the guys in sneakers, if not in the dark, then in as poorly lit a room as necessary to protect both them and the club.



Marcus Smart: ‘We Don’t Know Anything’
But as much as the players are intent on focusing on their work, the Udoka mystery is decidedly NOT a non-issue.

“That’s the thing, we don’t know anything,” Marcus Smart told Heavy Sports. “So I don’t know what they can and can’t talk about or what the legal reasons are. That’s not my business, and I don’t want it to be. They made a decision. Whatever they feel, they have every right. That’s why you have your lawyers and things like that. So whatever they can say, they’ll say.

“But it’s just tough, because we don’t know what they can say because of that reason. So it’s tough on both sides. But we’re here to play basketball. We’ll let those guys figure it out, and we’ll go from there.”


It can be a little strange, however, when Matt Barnes seems to know more about the Udoka details than the people Ime coached to the NBA Finals four months ago.

The former NBA player at first was critical of the potential punishment when there was talk of a “consensual relationship.”

Barnes subsequently posted a video saying, “Last night, without knowing all the facts, I spoke on Ime Judoka’s defense and after finding out the facts after I spoke, I erased what I posted because this situation in Boston is deep, it’s messy. It’s 100 times uglier than any of us thought. Some things happened that I can’t condone, I can’t back, and it’s not my place to tell you what happened. If it ends up coming out, it ends up coming out.”


Does Matt Barnes Know More Than Celtics Players?
Smart shrugged and offered half a laugh when it was suggested it might be a little hard that Barnes knows more than he and his teammates.

“I mean, it’s just what it is,” he said. “It’s not weird to me, you know? Somebody that’s not close to the situation in terms of being on the team, I guess it’d probably be a little bit easier for him to get more information than us. So I’m not surprised. It’s how these things can go.

“So we just have to wait and let it run its course and let everyone do their job and wait until they can tell us what they can tell us.”

Barnes has since pressed on in an interview with Vlad TV, implying that Udoka could be out of work for longer than this season.


“Boston will figure out a way, but you know if everything comes out, he’ll be lucky if he coaches in the NBA again, to be honest with you,” Barnes said. “It’s pretty heavy, man. It’s just some stuff you can’t do. Not judging, to each his own. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but if everything comes out it could get extra hot in the kitchen for him.”


There will undoubtedly be more drama as the Udoka story plays out, but on Sunday against the Hornets, the Celtics under their interim coach showed that, albeit in the preseason, ignorance of details was no obstacle to some blissful basketball. They ran and passed and romped to a 134-93 victory, perhaps delighting in the break from uneasy drama that welcomed them to training camp.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2022 2:27 pm    Post subject:

https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/stephen-a-smith-celtics-docked-ime-udoka-half-his-pay-01geq5rvgemq

Quote:
Stephen A. Smith: Celtics Docked Ime Udoka Half His Pay



There is still not much information publicly available regarding the Boston Celtics' suspension of Ime Udoka for a full season. All we really know is that there was some sort of workplace relationship between Udoka and another member of the organization that violated organizational rules to the extent the Celtics felt they had to bring the hammer down. Udoka is being replaced by Joe Mazzulla for this year and Boston's brain trust told the media they'd figure out Udoka's future when his suspension is up next summer.

Stephen A. Smith has been very vocal in his belief that Udoka is getting railroaded, both in that there are "plenty of white folks" doing similar things with no repercussions and that the Celtics aired dirty laundry that the public had no business knowing. Smith appeared on The Breakfast Club today to reiterate those stances and revealed a new piece of information-- sources told Smith that the Celtics docked half of Udoka's pay to go along with his suspension.


This is new information. The Celtics said he would face a "significant" financial penalty but didn't give any specifics. Udoka's salary isn't public but Front Office Sports speculated he would make around $3 million per year as a first-time head coach, which seems about right. If that is the case then Udoka is out over a million dollars.

A significant financial penalty indeed.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2022 2:06 pm    Post subject:

Just as I suspected they were planning this for months.. I mean obviously Ime isn't returning to the Celtics but this reinforces the obvious.

https://www.si.com/nba/2022/10/19/celtics-owner-wyc-grousbeck-threatened-jazz-danny-ainge-stole-assistant-coach-joe-mazzulla

Code:
Celtics Owner Says He Threatened Jazz Exec If He Stole Assistant Coach

Joel Embiid and Marcus Smart got into a scuffle in the third quarter of the 76ers-Celtics season opener. Embiid came down with a rebound and took Smart to the ground trying to untangle their arms. Embiid then slipped to the ground and a fight broke out. Marcus Smart explained the incident after the game to reporters, saying quote: 'Went for a rebound, basketball player, went for the steal. I stop play, my arm is still stuck in there and he tries to break it. The fact that I was the only one that


Steal one coach from Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, all is well. Try to steal a second, and the gloves are off.

During an interview on The Greg Hill Show, Grousbeck talked about how Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge hired former Celtics assistant Will Hardy to be the organization’s new coach and that he wouldn’t allow him to do it twice. Ainge, who stepped down as the Celtics president of basketball operations in 2021 to take the job in Utah, also apparently tried to recruit Boston interim coach Joe Mazzulla before Ime Udoka’s year-long suspension, and Grousbeck wasn’t having it.

“I prevented Danny from stealing him this summer, because I told Danny I’d fly to Utah and, like, personally strangle him if he did. You can quote that,” Grousbeck said. “You can take one person, an assistant, and make them a head coach, and they did with Will Hardy. And then they also wanted Mazzulla, and I was like, ‘That’s it, you’re crossing the line, and we’re not having it.’ And that was just when Joe was senior assistant with us, and now all of a sudden he’s interim head coach.”

Mazzulla made his debut as interim coach Tuesday night when the Celtics defeated the 76ers 126–117 and it’s fair to say Grousbeck isn’t prepared to lose him without a fight.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
TDRock
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 27 May 2010
Posts: 48596
Location: LA to the Bay

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:00 am    Post subject:

SEE SEE! Lakers are NOT the only morally compromised team!

Ime Udoka has emerged as a strong frontrunner to be the next Brooklyn Nets head coach and the sides have begun discussions, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Nets are in the midst of their search process and are continuing to do due diligence.

https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1587503204731854849?s=46&t=SKhHHbDgtZrO3Q0gDBTFxw
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
jodeke
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 17 Nov 2007
Posts: 67314
Location: In a world where admitting to not knowing something is considered a great way to learn.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:29 am    Post subject:

The Nets fired Steve Nash. Ime Udoka is on their watch list. It's reported Boston won't stop him from accepting a new position elsewhere. He'd be a great Nets hire.
_________________
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 2:18 pm    Post subject:

I figured it would be till next season not this quickly. This just reinforces what I thought: Ime banged the owner's wife she caught feelings which is what got him suspended and the owner wants him gone regardless.

That and they don't think much of him as a coach to not want nothing in return.

This does reinforce conspiracy theories of how the NBA is scripted though I mean you couldn't write anything better..

He's too hot to coach Boston anyways so I can deal with him being the Nets coach if it happens....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
unleasHell
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 16 Apr 2001
Posts: 11591
Location: Stay Thirsty my Friends

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:05 pm    Post subject:

jodeke wrote:
He'd be a great Nets hire.


Why?

Do they have some good looking office staff women?


(lol, sorry....)
_________________
“Always remember... Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 2:55 pm    Post subject:

This is .. interesting (although I got a chuckle out of him calling the Nets their biggest rivals but I digress)...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/marcus-smart-reacts-to-ime-udoka-to-the-nets-report/ar-AA13FBjj


Quote:
Marcus Smart Reacts to Ime Udoka to the Nets Report


Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is not happy about Ime Udoka reportedly joining the Brooklyn Nets



While Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks refuted the reports that the team had settled on Ime Udoka as their next head coach, the former Boston Celtics lead man is widely expected to replace Steve Nash. In a recent interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, Celtics guard Marcus Smart shared his feelings on this potential development.

"[Ime's] name got slandered and slaughtered and it was ‘He’ll probably never coach again.' And a couple months later he’s possibly going to be the coach of one of our biggest rivals. It’s tough. It makes no sense," Smart said.


Smart admitted players on the team wish Udoka was still there, saying, "Obviously, we wish he was here. We have no control over that. It definitely sucks. I guess it was deemed that whatever happened was enough for him not to be the coach here, but I guess not enough for him [not] to be a coach anywhere else, obviously."

While nothing has been finalized yet, there will be some serious questions the Nets must answer if they do end up hiring Udoka. With reports of the partnership surfacing just minutes after Nash was fired, it is obvious the Nets were in contact with Udoka while Nash was still employed, and while Udoka will still suspended from the Celtics.

The entire situation is odd, and Marcus Smart joined his teammate Jaylen Brown as one of the latest Celtics to share thoughts on it all.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
jodeke
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 17 Nov 2007
Posts: 67314
Location: In a world where admitting to not knowing something is considered a great way to learn.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2022 1:36 pm    Post subject:

unleasHell wrote:
jodeke wrote:
He'd be a great Nets hire.


Why?

Do they have some good looking office staff women?


(lol, sorry....)


I don't think Steve had the locker room. I think Ime will get the respect needed to coach high profile athletes like Durant and Irving. I won't say 100 percent Irving. His Boston tenure indicates he can coach.

I think Steve got a raw deal. Durant and Irving played something like 13-16 games together. He never had a healthy squad. I don't think he was right for this job. I hope he gets another chance to show what he can do.
_________________
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2022 2:26 pm    Post subject:

He also used to be the assistant coach there and already has relationships with these players..

Neither the Nets or Ime are blind to one another.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
TDRock
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 27 May 2010
Posts: 48596
Location: LA to the Bay

PostPosted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 9:13 am    Post subject:

The Nets are making Jacque Vaughn head coach.

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1590390806355271681?s=46&t=vo6Zo3_Gi4WbX3rfXyg2tQ

Glad to hear the nets re-found themselves and re-found their focus.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 9:43 am    Post subject:

TDRock wrote:
The Nets are making Jacque Vaughn head coach.

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1590390806355271681?s=46&t=vo6Zo3_Gi4WbX3rfXyg2tQ

Glad to hear the nets re-found themselves and re-found their focus.



Yeah that’s it or they caved to people not wanting the team to hire him. It’s fine they chose Vaughn but why consider Udoka to begin with? Sounds like a rebuild and Ime is going to be blackballed by the league for banging the owner’s wife. Why don’t the Celtics just fire him we know he’s never returning
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Thu Feb 16, 2023 7:44 am    Post subject:

They made Mazzulla the full time coach. I wonder what Ime's settlement was. I'm sure an NDA was involved.


https://nba.nbcsports.com/2023/02/16/celtics-remove-interim-tag-officially-make-joe-mazzulla-head-coach/

Quote:
Celtics remove interim tag, officially make Joe Mazzulla head coach

Joe Mazzulla got thrust from the back bench into one of the highest-profile coaching jobs in the NBA. When the Celtics suspended Ime Udoka following an inappropriate relationship with a team staff member, Mazzulla was given the interim head coaching job. He did an impressive job not letting the Celtics’ locker room lose focus despite the massive distraction, and Boston heads into the All-Star break with the best record in the NBA (and he will be coaching in the All-Star Game).

Thursday the Celtics removed the interim tag from Mazzulla’s title.

“As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader,” Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “He has a unique ability to galvanize a room around a mission. We are thankful for the work he has done to help get us to this point, and excited that he has agreed to lead us into the future.”

The Celtics also gave Mazzulla a contract extension along with the new title.

It’s unclear what this means for Udoka. While it was always highly unlikely he would return to coach the Celtics, he is still under contract and in limbo now. The Brooklyn Nets strongly considered hiring Udoka after firing Steve Nash but backed off that idea because of the nature of his suspension from the Celtics.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2023 11:35 am    Post subject:

He's not getting hired I don't know why they're wasting everyone's time

https://nba.nbcsports.com/2023/04/18/reports-udoka-to-interview-for-rockets-coaching-job-vogel-cassell-borego-as-well/


Quote:
Reports: Udoka to interview for Rockets coaching job; Vogel, Cassell, Borego as well

The Houston Rockets coaching job is going to be a balancing act between maturing the young stars on the team — Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Şengün, plus whoever they draft this June — and some veterans brought in with cap space to start winning now (cue the James Harden rumors).

The Rockets front office is doing their due diligence, and the latest big name coming in for an interview is former Celtics’ coach Ime Udoka, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

This is not a surprise, Udoka has been linked to the Rockets’ job almost since the day Stephen Silas was let go. Udoka led the Celtics to the NBA Finals a year ago but has been away from the team this season after news of an inappropriate relationship with a Celtics’ staffer surfaced (Joe Mazzula took his place and led the team to the second-best record in the NBA).

Other people known to have interviewed/are about to interview for the Rockets’ job include:

• Frank Vogel, the coach who helped lead the Lakers to the title in the bubble. He had a very strong first interview and will have a second, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
• Doc Rivers’ long-time assistant Sam Cassell (now with the 76ers, formerly with the Clippers) will get a chance.
• James Borrego, the former Hornets’ head coach, will get an interview, reports Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.
• Long-time Rockets assistant Adrian Griffin will get an interview.
• Kevin Young, one of the top assistants to Monty Williams in Phoenix, also will get an interview.

While there had been rumors the Rockets would have interest in Nick Nurse if he leaves


It’s a wide net being cast, but the Rockets need someone who can walk in the door and command a locker room. They will take their time in getting this right, but they will want this person in place well before the NBA Draft this June (and the trades that come with it).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2023 1:50 pm    Post subject:

What dirt does he have on the Celtics...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/36282812/sources-houston-rockets-hire-ex-celtics-coach-ime-udoka

Quote:
Sources: Houston Rockets to hire ex-Celtics coach Ime Udoka

Ime Udoka has agreed to a deal to become the next Houston Rockets coach, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Rockets probed the circumstances around Udoka's departure from the Boston Celtics with the team and league office, sources said.

Udoka -- who led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals in his only season as head coach -- was dismissed after findings of an inappropriate workplace relationship.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 7:16 am    Post subject:

https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2023/04/26/rockets-officially-announce-udoka-as-new-head-coach-press-conference-1-pm-wednesday/

Quote:
Rockets officially announce Udoka as new head coach, Press Conference 1 p.m. Wednesday
Udoka takes over for Stephen Silas

HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets today announced they have named Ime Udoka [ee-MAY ooh-DOH-ka] the 15th head coach in franchise history. In his lone season as head coach of Boston in 2021-22, Udoka helped the Celtics bounce back from a .500 record the previous season to win 51 games, capped off with an impressive run to the NBA Finals which included Game 7 victories over Milwaukee and Miami.

“We are excited to welcome Ime to the Houston Rockets,” said Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone. “Ime’s intelligence, drive and toughness were the traits we were looking for in a coach to lead our team through this next stage of our development as we strive to become a champion. We were honored to have the opportunity to speak to multiple outstanding candidates throughout the interview process and felt that Ime’s vision best aligned with the goals the Fertitta Family and myself have for the future of the Rockets.”

Udoka’s Celtics ranked first in the league in both field goal defense and fewest points allowed in 2021-22 after the team ranked 13th in defensive rating the previous season. He was a two-time winner of the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award and finished fourth in voting for Coach of the Year.

Prior to becoming head coach of the Celtics, Udoka was an assistant coach on Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio staff from 2012-13 through 2018-19, Brett Brown’s Philadelphia staff in 2019-20 and Steve Nash’s Brooklyn staff in 2020-21, Those teams made the playoffs in each of Udoka’s nine seasons as an assistant, with the Spurs winning the title in 2013-14. Udoka was also a member of Popovich’s staff for USA Basketball during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

As a player, Udoka spent parts of seven seasons in the NBA from 2003-04 through 2010-11 while appearing in 316 games with 80 starts. After going undrafted in 2000, he had brief stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and New York but spent most of his time in the NBA Development League and playing overseas. Udoka’s first full NBA season was as a 29-year-old for Portland in 2006-07 and the following season, he helped the Spurs reach the Western Conference Finals. Besides Popovich, Udoka played for Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, Nate McMillan and Paul Westphal.


Udoka, whose father was of Nigerian decent, represented the Nigerian national team and was the team’s leading scorer at the 2006 FIBA World Championships. His sister, Mfon, played in the WNBA, including for the Houston Comets in 2003.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 2:38 pm    Post subject:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/36297588/rockets-owner-tilman-fertitta-ease-ime-udoka-being-coach

Quote:
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta at ease with Ime Udoka being coach
play

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta trumpeted the hiring of Ime Udoka as the first step in "phase two" of the franchise's rebuilding process, in which immediately returning to the playoffs after a three-year absence is the plan.

He also attributed his feeling at ease with hiring Udoka to conversations with NBA officials and the head coach following Udoka's suspension and eventual dismissal from the Boston Celtics because of an improper workplace relationship.


"The NBA told me that they felt very comfortable with Ime becoming the coach of the Houston Rockets," Fertitta said during a Wednesday news conference at the Toyota Center. "So that made me feel really good after a lengthy, lengthy conversation with him."


Udoka led the Celtics to a 51-31 record and an NBA Finals appearance in his lone season as head coach. He was suspended in September after an independent law firm probe found that he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate before the start of an improper workplace relationship with her, an element that significantly factored into the severity of his initial suspension, sources told ESPN then. He was dismissed during the season when the Celtics opted to make Joe Mazzulla, who had been promoted on an interim basis, the head coach moving forward.

The Rockets hired Udoka to replace Stephen Silas after Houston finished with the worst record in the Western Conference for three straight seasons in the wake of a teardown and rebuilding plan that began when James Harden requested a trade.

Udoka referenced the apologetic statement he released in September and said he has undergone leadership and sensitivity training as well as counseling with his son during his season away from the NBA. Udoka emphasized that he took "ownership and accountability," noting that those are things he preaches to players.

"I'd say in general, like Tilman alluded to, they've done their due diligence and homework on who I am as a person," Udoka said Wednesday. "I think we spent quality time together getting to know each other and we clicked pretty easily and pretty well.

"But overall, I released a statement months ago when everything happened and apologized to a lot of people for the tough position I put them in, and I stand by that, and I feel much more remorse even now towards that. So, I spent this last offseason working on myself in a lot of different ways, improving in areas. It was a chance to sit back, reflect and grow, and I think that'll make me a better coach and overall, a better leader."

In response to an inquiry about whether the league office expressed comfort with Houston hiring Udoka, NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement: "Former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the 2022-23 NBA season following an investigation conducted by outside counsel engaged by the Celtics. The findings of the investigation were shared with the NBA league office and we believe the discipline imposed was appropriate."

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone declined to discuss specifics about the due diligence done by the team while considering hiring Udoka, including whether the Rockets reviewed the independent investigation commissioned by the Rockets.

"We did diligence not just on him but on every candidate we have," Stone said. "We do it on every important hire. And so, what I would say is that we got comfortable that it was an appropriate hire and that we were comfortable in the process. But just the same way I wouldn't talk about exactly what we did with anybody else, I'm not going to talk about it with Ime. It's just in my view, it's not appropriate."

Fertitta said that anybody who doesn't think Udoka deserves a second chance is "not a good Christian person." Fertitta said the positive input from his ex-wife, Paige, and Rockets president Gretchen Sheirr was an important factor in the decision to hire Udoka.

"We're a forgiving world, and anybody that isn't forgiving, then shame on them," Fertitta said.

Udoka, 45, was considering a rising star in the coaching world after inheriting a Boston team that was coming off a .500 season and leading the Celtics to the Finals.

Udoka, who had a seven-year NBA career as a role player, earned a reputation for toughness and intelligence while serving as an assistant coach for nine seasons, the first seven on Gregg Popovich's staff with the San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics led the league in defensive efficiency during Udoka's season in Boston.

The Brooklyn Nets seriously considering hiring Udoka, who spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant on Steve Nash's staff, after Nash's early-season departure. However, the Nets instead opted to promote assistant coach Jacque Vaughn.

The Rockets selected Udoka over other experienced candidates such as former Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel and ex-Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego.

Udoka inherits a team that will have a high lottery pick for the third consecutive season and plans to be aggressive in free agency with approximately $60 million in salary cap space.


"What we like about him is his ability to coach a basketball team, and then he's going to hold these guys to toughness, respectability, accountability," Fertitta said. "It's everything how I like to run a business -- structure and everybody having the right guy that they can communicate with.

"We're just excited. It's phase two. Phase two was getting ourselves back into the playoffs, learning how to win again. Hopefully soon I won't be up here for anything except to tell you how great it was to win a championship. That's in phase three. So, let's have phase two right now. You had to crawl and now we're going to walk and then we're going to run. But we're all expecting a lot."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Dreamshake
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 05 May 2006
Posts: 13708

PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 9:48 pm    Post subject:

Great signing!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24741

PostPosted: Sun Apr 30, 2023 6:26 am    Post subject:

Dreamshake wrote:
Great signing!


I was wondering what you thought of this.

I do think it's a better fit for him personally than Boston for obvious reasons.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> General Basketball Discussion All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Page 3 of 4
Jump to:  

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum






Graphics by uberzev
© 1995-2018 LakersGround.net. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.
LakersGround is an unofficial news source serving the fan community since 1995.
We are in no way associated with the Los Angeles Lakers or the National Basketball Association.


Powered by phpBB