Celtics axe left Ime Udoka’s reputation in tatters, but Rockets job is ticket back to NBA’s elite

On June 22 of last year, Ime Udoka manned the Celtics sideline as they took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals over the Warriors.

Boston was just two wins away from a championship, and Udoka – the team’s head coach – held arguably the most coveted job in the entire sport.

Everything changed just three months later.

On September 23, Udoka was suspended by the team out of nowhere for the entire 2022-23 season, as it was revealed he had an improper relationship with a fellow Celtics staffer, previously revealed as team service manager Kathleen Nimmo Lynch by DailyMail.com.

And while Udoka’s transgressions in Boston ultimately cost him his job there –  acting head coach Joe Mazzulla was given the job on a permanent basis in February – it’s taken him less than a year to resurface with a team.

DailyMail.com revealed the Celtics employee who had an affair with coach Ime Udoka, 45, is team service manager Kathleen Nimmo Lynch, 34 

Ime Udoka and Nia Long split in the fall after a nearly eight-year engagement 

Udoka and Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta smile as they speak to the media on Wednesday

The Rockets announced the 45-year-old defensive guru as their newest head coach on Tuesday night, signing him to a four-year, $28.5million deal, according to the Houston Chronicle. 

And he’ll look to rebuild the tattered reputation he left Beantown with. 

The Athletic reported at the time that Udoka had made ‘unwanted’ comments towards Lynch. The Celtics staffer was married with three children when the scandal broke, while Udoka was engaged to famed actress Nia Long at the time and has an 11-year-old son with her.

Long and Udoka have since split, with his ex-fiancée and their son Kez moving back to LA.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said Wednesday that he was told by the NBA that the league felt ‘very comfortable’ with Houston hiring Udoka, while saying the coach’s actions were ‘definitely something we can forgive for’.

Udoka reflected a bit on the situation himself. 

‘You know, I preach [accountability] to the players and so I have to take responsibility for my part in it, Udoka said at his introductory press conference. ‘I took leadership and sensitivity training and some counseling with my son to help him improve the situation that I put him in.’

Udoka led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his lone season as head coach in Boston

Long and the ex-couple’s son, Kez, moved back to Los Angeles after Udoka was suspended

‘You can grow from adversity and I think I’ve done that this year.’

The coach won’t get a chance to make it up his former colleagues and fans in Boston, but he’s been given a lifeline in Houston.

The Rockets fired head coach Stephen Silas after three seasons in charge, and a league-worst 59-177 mark in that time.

And while Udoka has traded a contending team for a basement-dweller, there are reasons to be optimistic about his new group in Houston.

Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., at 21 years and 22 years old respectively, are capable though not-yet-efficient scorers, and 20-year-old center Alperen Sengun is coming off of a breakout season where he averaged 14.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per night.

That young core could get much, much stronger if the team cashes in its joint-best odds (14 percent) of landing the No. 1 overall pick and generational talent Victor Wembanyama. 

Not to mention, the Rockets could even lure back 10-time All-Star James Harden, with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that a reunion is ‘very much in play.’

‘We talked about cap space and some of the flexibility we have,’ Udoka said at his introductory press conference on Wednesday. 

‘I’m excited to be a part of that and looking forward to the moves we can make coming up in the draft and free agency.’

Udoka will face a challenge to get this Rockets team (as presently constructed) into the Western Conference playoff mix, but the evidence shows he’s a wholly capable coach.

Jalen Green (left) and Kevin Porter Jr. will hope to flourish under Udoka’s leadership

And Alperen Sengun is a rising star, after nearly averaging a double-double a 20 years old

In his first – and only – season as Celtics head coach, Udoka led Boston to a 51-31 record, the league’s best net rating, and the joint-best defensive rating in the NBA.

They swept a Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving-led Nets team in the first round, and held their nerve vs. the Bucks and Heat before losing to a seasoned Warriors group in six games during the Finals.

Prior to that season, Udoka served as an assistant coach for the Spurs, Sixers and Nets, earning recognition as a talented ‘defensive coordinator’ before landing in Boston.

‘They’re going to allow me to coach and push them,’ he said ahead of his first season with the Celtics.

‘I’m gonna be on their a**, and that’s what they like about me. They’ve asked me about that. They want to be pushed, they want to be directed towards winning, and you expect that from your stars, the character they’ve shown.’

Udoka certainly has his work cut out for him with Houston’s young roster, as it had the second-worst defensive rating in the league this season. Silas criticized the team’s energy after a loss in February.

‘They’re not giving the effort on the defensive end,’ Silas said during an angry press conference.

‘They’re not getting after it like they’re supposed to. They’re not getting into their man and fighting over and helping each other. Not doing what they’re supposed to do.’

Houston fans can expect Udoka to hold the team accountable. 

Udoka will get to work with the Rockets right away, with the NBA Draft coming up on June 22

‘Understanding that we’re gonna take some lumps with our age and our youth, but my message to them will be that’s not an excuse,’ he said Wednesday.

For all of the strong points on Udoka’s resume, his sample size as a head coach is small and it was only six months ago that the Nets – at the time trying to contend with Durant and Irving – pulled out of hiring him late in the process.

‘You’re with someone for 12, 13 years, you think you know them,’ Long told The Cut in February.

He’s well known now and he’s back in the spotlight.