Just when Boston Celtics fans thought it couldn't get any worse, their former coach Ime Udoka comes in and adds insult to injury.
An already-thin Celtics coaching staff under Joe Mazzulla will reportedly be gutted further by Udoka, as he's expected to bring in three assistants from Boston to join him on the Houston Rockets sideline, according to The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn:
According to an NBA source, assistants Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles, and Mike Moser are expected to join Ime Udoka’s staff in Houston, leaving three or more openings on Mazzulla’s staff.
Coaching was a huge talking point during the Eastern Conference Finals as the Celtics' neophyte play-caller in Joe Mazzulla was forced to go up against a proven winner and arguably the best coach in the league right now in Heat head honcho Erik Spoelstra.
Boston was clearly the superior side talent-wise when it came to their roster, but the inverse was true when it came to coaching. Among many strategic plays throughout the Celtics-Heat series, the most evident was Spoelstra's implementation of zone defense, which Mazzulla's side never truly was able to solve.
Ima Udoka's departure and eventual move to the Rockets was just one of many that left the Celtics' coaching staff extremely thin. Top assistant Will Hardy was poached by former Celtics exec Danny Ainge to lead the Utah Jazz. Former NBA veteran Damon Stoudamire also left to become the head coach of Georgia Tech.
It remains to be seen if the Celtics will commit to Joe Mazzulla going forward after a bittersweet comeback bid that fell short in the East Finals. But whether or not he comes back, there will be plenty of clipboards that will need new owners in Beantown.
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