Joe Mazzulla took over the role of interim head coach of the Boston Celtics under incredibly tenuous circumstances this summer. He served as an assistant coach under Ime Udoka and had to become interim head coach after Udoka was suspended for a year by the Celtics for inappropriate workplace behavior.
Mazzulla was one of two lead assistants, with the other one being Will Hardy. Hardy left to be the head coach in Utah already, making the 34-year-old Mazzulla the next in line. He has delivered remarkably so far this season, taking the NBA Finalists to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 12-3 record.
His performance through the first 15 games might have guaranteed his job with the team, as revealed by Adrian Wojnarowski.
https://twitter.com/_Talkin_NBA/status/1593022109047222273
“Everything is aligned and in place for Joe Mazzulla to be the long-term coach for the Boston Celtics. Except for one thing. Ime Udoka is still the head coach of the Boston Celtics, on suspension. But for all intents and purposes, he’s coached his last game in Boston. This is uncharted territory certainly.”
Udoka almost became the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets before the franchise decided to stick with Jacque Vaughn. With no job in line for Udoka, the Celtics are likely going to wait out the year with Mazzulla as interim coach before releasing Udoka or waiting for him to get a head coaching offer.
How Long Before Joe Mazzulla Is Given The Job?
The Celtics won’t give the job back to Udoka after everything that has happened, so it is only a matter of time before Mazzulla is named head coach. The Celtics will be liable to pay Udoka a payout if he’s fired during the season, so they could be waiting to see if Ime gets a job elsewhere and leaves on his own accord.
If Mazzulla’s team performances collapse over the second half of the season, the Celtics may be forced to make a tough coaching decision. But all signs point towards Mazzulla getting the job, latest by the end of the season, even with Udoka missing out on the Nets job right now.
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