In a rather surprising turn of events, the Atlanta Hawks are reportedly considering disgraced tactician Ime Udoka as a potential head coach replacement for Nate McMillan.
To recall, the Hawks fired McMillan on Friday amid the team's struggles heading to the All-Star break. Atlanta just tallied a 29-30 record under McMillan this 2022-23, putting them at eighth in the Eastern Conference. It certainly didn't help McMillan that he has a reported beef with superstar guard Trae Young.
Now, according to the latest updates, Udoka's name has been floated as a possible hiring for the Hawks, per NBA insider Marc Stein. Udoka is no longer part of the Boston Celtics after he was suspended before the season started due to his inappropriate relationship with a female staff. Boston removed the interim tag on coach Joe Mazzulla recently, effectively signifying the end of Udoka's tenure with the team.
The Hawks are assessing all their options in their coaching search, with Quin Snyder and Kenny Atkinson mentioned as candidates as well.
Sure enough, if true, Ime Udoka's involvement is a pretty interesting and controversial development considering the issues surrounding him. Remember, the Brooklyn Nets considered signing Udoka as well after they fired Steve Nash. But the team ended up sticking with Jacque Vaughn after the huge backlash they received and due to a strong opposition within the organization about Udoka's potential hiring.
It remains to be seen what the Hawks will do, but should they end up getting Udoka to lead the team, they can't expect all fans to welcome it.
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