The players on the Boston Celtics’ roster were in many ways as much in the dark as the fans regarding the unexpected suspension for head coach Ime Udoka for the entirety of the 2022-23 NBA season, as was evidenced by their comments in the immediate aftermath of the suspension’s announcement.
Now several weeks removed from that tense media day, the issue of Udoka’s relationship to the team’s future has resurfaced with rumbles the disgraced head coach might be hired away from the Celtics despite his reported “unwanted comments” towards a female staffer he was having a relationship with behind the scenes in Boston. Players sound conflicted and still ill-informed about the reasons behind his potential departure, which Al Horford acknowledged after practice on Friday (per CLNS Media).
“That’s something that’s there,” explained the veteran forward.
Celtics Lab 152: Navigating Boston’s ‘big’ cap concerns with Yossi Gozlan https://t.co/Qd6djF5kze
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 4, 2022
“It’s a real thing, but at the end of the day, we have a job we have to do,” continued Horford.
“We have a season in front of us, we prepared for this. If that ends up happening for Ime, we’d be happy for him. But at this point, we have to look ahead. The games are coming on, things are not going to get easier/ We’ve got a big challenge tonight, starting (with) Chicago.”
“Our group, we’re moving ahead, we have to focus, look ahead,” added the Florida alum.
Could the Brooklyn Nets hiring Ime Udoka bring some closure to the Boston Celtics? https://t.co/HbcoeqXHNj
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 4, 2022
From the sounds of things, the team is starting to turn the page and are focused on the con-court product as much as they could be expected to given their personal relationships with Udoka and the lack of information to be had.
The former Nets assistant returning to that team might also lift a weight off of the shoulders of interim coach Joe Mazzulla, perhaps smoothing the path forward for a stronger relationship between himself and the team.
That these concerns might be resolved for Boston now and not at some point closer to the postseason also may be a small silver lining for an otherwise tough situation.
Given what we know (and what we don’t), why do the Brooklyn Nets want to hire Ime Udoka? https://t.co/69DcqDfZVq
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 3, 2022
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