After not extending the contract of former head coach Stephen Silas, the Houston Rockets needed to bring credibility back to an organization that has had a rough three years.
During the Silas era, the Rockets went 59-177 (.250), which was well below the NBA average and his own expectations.
Many will say that it was due to his coaching style. Others will tell you he was never allowed to display the talent and skills he had developed as a lifelong NBA assistant coaching LeBron James, Steph Curry and Luka Doncic. The revolving door of players coming in and out of the organization, along with the league’s youngest lineup this past season, was a recipe for disaster.
On Monday, it was reported the Rockets will hire former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka to become their next head coach.
The Celtics suspended Udoka after leading the team to the NBA Finals in his only season because of his involvement in and actions surrounding an improper relationship with a staff member of the organization. He was later dismissed by the team and replaced by Joe Mazzulla.
Udoka comes from basketball royalty, having played for legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich before coaching under him for seven seasons. After that, he spent one season each with the 76ers and Nets, including time with former Rockets star James Harden during his Brooklyn stint.
Yet, even with a trip to the 2022 NBA Finals, some are still hesitant to believe he is the right hire for the Rockets. Morally, many people take issue with the many apparently unanswered questions about the scandal that cost him his job in Boston.
Many assume some incidents have been swept under the rug by his former team and the NBA. Although the Rockets said they did their due diligence by checking in with both the Celtics and the league office, some fear they did the bare minimum.
Then, there is the question of whether Udoka’s stern coaching style will translate to a locker room that consists of young talents such as Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun. He is known as a stern disciplinarian, the opposite of Silas.
Upon arriving in Boston, Udoka inherited a veteran-laden team with starters Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford. Once he officially takes over head coaching duties in Houston, his oldest starter from last season will be 22 years old.
One of the on-court concerns regarding Udoka is the sample size the Rockets used to select him. In one season, he led the Celtics to a 51-31 record and the East’s No. 2 seed, which was much improved from Boston’s 36-36 (.500) record the previous year. After losing to Golden State in the 2022 NBA Finals (4-2), many believed Udoka would have them competing for championships for years.
Yet, the 2022-23 Celtics have not missed a beat. They finished the regular season winning six more games (57) and another No. 2 seed under Joe Mazzulla. Entering Tuesday, they have a 3-1 lead over Atlanta in their ongoing first-round playoff series.
Without Udoka, Boston did not regress. In fact, it actually improved. It appears to be on the same path it was a season ago, and it has little to do with Udoka.
So, did the Rockets reach by hiring a successful one-year coach whose team got better after he was gone? Or, is Udoka the right hire to help lead Houston into phase two of its rebuilding process?
Assuming history does not repeat itself with Udoka and he stays with the team, those questions will be answered over the next three years.
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