In Brooklyn, the exit of head coach Steve Nash has caused a ripple effect throughout the NBA. With the Nets already being tagged as the most dysfunctional franchise in sports, their latest move has only sent the team further into the abyss.
Reports now say that GM Sean Marks is on the verge of signing Nash’s replacement, Ime Udoka, to a multi-year deal. Udoka, 45, is a veteran coach with years of assistant coaching experience and a run to the NBA Finals as the leader of the Boston Celtics.
He was suspended from the Celtics organization for a full year due to sexual misconduct, and the Nets are reportedly sold that he’s the guy who can unlock the potential of their star-studded cast.
But as the Nets consider pulling the trigger on the Udoka hire, where does that leave the Celtics? While many people assumed Udoka would not return at all (regardless of how the team performed this year), some of the players were under the assumption that their coach would be back on the bench next season.
Celtics Players Speak Out On Losing Ime Udoka To Conference Rivals
In a chat with the media, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart responded to the latest development regarding their soon-to-be former head coach.
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart expressed confusion over reports that suspended head coach Ime Udoka is headed to the Brooklyn Nets. Until the reports surfaced Tuesday, Smart believed Udoka would return to Boston’s bench next year.
“From what we know and were told, it was just a suspension. We didn’t know he was leaving to go coach somebody else,” Smart said. “We thought they just suspended him for the year and he’d be back. That’s why it’s confusing. We weren’t told too much about it.”
“I think it left a lot of people just like, ‘What the hell is going on here?’ Because obviously, they suspended him for breaking a team rule. And it’s like, ‘OK, now obviously it looks like more than a suspension. But he’s able to still coach. So what exactly was the team rule and how big was it to the point they felt they needed to suspend him and then all of a sudden say, ‘You’re gone’ and allow him to go coach somewhere else?… I don’t think you’ll ever get a straight answer about what’s really going on because there’s only so much they can say and that they know,” Smart said. “You can ask, but I don’t think it’s going to change anything, help anything. I think asking is just to express how you feel, whatever you feel, off your chest. But really that’s it. I don’t think it’ll change or affect any outcome. They made their decision.”
For Brown, he admitted that he would have rather Udoka stick around. But, no matter where he lands, Ime will always have his support.
“It would’ve been awesome if we could’ve figured out a way for it to be with us, but I guess that wasn’t the case,” Brown said. “I’m just happy to see a Black head coach end up back on his feet because I’ve seen situations where something like this might not have been the case.I would’ve liked him to be here because Ime is a good guy. I believe that,” Brown said. “It’s unfortunate just to see where he was at and everybody was worried if he’d be able to get another opportunity. So to hear that he potentially has another opportunity, it sucks that it’s not here, but I’m glad that he’s able to land back on his feet.”
https://twitter.com/TheAthletic/status/1587887110534856704
Udoka has not been officially given the role in Brooklyn just yet, but he is the overwhelming favorite to land the job, and some reports say that he might join the Nets as early as this week.
Either way, it’s important to remember that the Nets aren’t the only team involved in all of this. While Brooklyn might be gaining a valuable basketball mind, the Celtics are losing one of their own, and it has clearly been an impactful loss for them.
