The Boston Celtics have the best record in the NBA. They have the league’s best offense. They have two legitimate superstars and a bevy of depth. Even their losses tell a story of dominance. Of their four defeats this season, two came in overtime.
They may also have, in all this success under interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, a lesson for the rest of the league: That when it comes to Ime Udoka, the juice simply won’t be worth the squeeze.
Mazulla is a 34-year-old interim head coach of the NBA’s best team because his former boss, Udoka, finds himself suspended for the season after the Celtics accused him of unspecified violations of team policy. Subsequent reports claimed Udoka’s punishment stemmed from an alleged inappropriate relationship with an employee.
Yet the fuzziness of the situation and ugliness of the implications had not entirely dampened enthusiasm for Udoka’s return to a head coaching post somewhere in the league. And on first blush, why not?
He led the Celtics to an NBA Finals berth in his first year as a head coach. He’d unlocked a strident defensive excellence from a team that lacked it the year before. By all accounts, he’d been a beloved and effective leader of his players.
Those around the NBA believe he will never coach the Celtics again. Yet the regard for his coaching skills were so high that the Brooklyn Nets were still considering hiring him just two weeks into the season to replace Steve Nash.
Brooklyn eventually backed away from the idea, but the dye was cast and an idea with it: This guy is so good, whatever his baggage, someone will eventually give him another chance.
But the Celtics’ surge under Mazzulla might just be enough to reach a different conclusion: Don’t hire Udoka; he simply won’t be worth it.
Perhaps this is wrong. Perhaps, in a league with a dearth of talent in all areas, including coaching, Udoka has some true genius worthy of a team’s trust. This certainly isn’t an attack on second chances — people should get them, yes, of course. But only if they’re seeking one for…
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