Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that NBA coach, Ime Udoka, cheats on his wife, NIA Long, after being accused of having an improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff. (Read More Here).
Shams Charania wrote: "Celtics coach Ime Udoka had an improper intimate and consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. It’s been deemed a violation of franchise’s code of conduct."
It’s unclear who would take over interim coaching duties and run training camp during the suspension. However, Woj suggests it could be Joe Mazzulla, but also on staff are Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles and Tony Dobbins.
Udoka was Brad Stevens’ hire to replace himself when Stevens jumped up to the front office, and in his first season Udoka led the Celtics to 51 wins and a trip to the NBA Finals. Udoka did it with a focus on defense — the Celtics’ defense was 5.4 points per 100 possessions better last season than the year before (the emergence of Robert Williams helped).
Boston upgraded its roster in the offseason with the addition of Malcolm Brogdon, and expectations are sky high. How significant a setback this proves to be remains to be seen, but it’s not an ideal start.
The relationship was considered a violation of the organization's guidelines, and a decision on the length of that suspension is expected to come as soon as Thursday, sources said. While no final decision has been made, internal discussions have included scenarios that would keep Udoka out for the entirety of the 2022-23 season, sources said.
It isn't believed that Udoka's job is in jeopardy, sources said.
Udoka's top assistant coach, Will Hardy, left to become coach of the Utah Jazz, and another Jazz finalist, Celtics assistant Joe Mazzulla, would likely be in serious consideration for an interim role, sources told ESPN.
Udoka joined the Celtics last summer after spending time with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets as an assistant coach following his NBA playing career.
The main story of the Celtics during the offseason was the report that mentioned the team's interest in acquiring the services of Kevin Durant, even with information that Jaylen Brown was offered in that negotiation that in the end did not materialize.
So Brown, along with Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart will have the responsibility to continue fighting for a championship, but they may have to do it for a while without Udoka.
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