NBA Rumors: Raptors, Rockets interested in hiring former Boston Celtics head coach
The Boston Celtics (52-23) are second in the Eastern Conference standings. They have won seven of their last 10 games and are on a three-game winning streak. They looked as dominant as they did at the beginning of the regular season, just before the NBA Playoffs begin. The Celtics have done all of that without their former head coach, Ime Udoka.
Ime Udoka is no longer associated with the Boston Celtics organization. Joe Mazzulla was officially appointed for the head coaching position. Now, other NBA teams have expressed interest in hiring the former Celtics' head coach.
In a Heavy Sports article written by Steve Bulpett, NBA sources reported that Ime Udoka's return was drawing nearer as other teams have been closely keeping an eye on his situation.
The two teams that were reported in the article by NBA sources are the Toronto Raptors and the Houston Rockets.
The Toronto Raptors (37-38) are ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, which is below their previous standing last season as the fifth seed in the East. Due to how the season has turned out for the Raptors, there are reports going around that Nick Nurse might look to part ways with the organization before the next season begins.
Because of this, the Raptors are interested in inquiring about Ime Udoka as a replacement. Similar to the Raptors, the Houston Rockets are also looking to change up their head coach by replacing Stephen Silas with the former Boston Celtics head coach.
With a young core on the Rockets team in Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and Kenyon Martin Jr., the organization could look to replicate what Ime Udoka was able to do with the young core of the Boston Celtics in Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart.
Udoka was able to turn the season around for the Boston Celtics last season after the All-Star break. He had them in the second seed of the Eastern Conference and led the team to the NBA Finals. The Houston Rockets are interested in that level of culture change for their team.
It will be interesting to see how this situation develops in the coming months as other NBA teams have steered clear of Ime Udoka due to the violations he committed during his time with the Boston Celtics.
Former Celtics' head coach Ime Udoka's scandal
Dating back to the Boston Celtics' offseason, it was almost too perfect. Brad Stevens was able to acquire Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari to bolster the depth of the team, since this was one of the main problems the team ran into during last year's NBA Finals.
However, just a few days before the preseason began, Ime Udoka was suspended for disciplinary reasons as he was caught violating the organization's rule of conduct when it came to office relationships. At that point, Joe Mazzulla was appointed as the interim coach for the Boston Celtics.
On January 30, 2023, Joe Mazzulla was officially appointed as the head coach of the Boston Celtics moving forward. The move was to ensure that there will be no doubts about the position hovering over the team during the upcoming deep playoff run, along with the team finally moving past the scandal with Ime Udoka.
Brad Stevens had this to say on the matter:
"The idea of going into the playoffs, we're gonna be in battles. It's gonna be really tough, the hardest thing to do would be going into the playoffs looking over your shoulder," Stevens said.