Joe Mazzulla inherited Ime Udoka’s assistants when he became head coach. Now many of them are following their old boss.
When Boston suspended Udoka for the season, the organization elevated Mazzulla, a holdover from former coach Brad Stevens’ staff, to the head job. That left the team with a group of assistants who reportedly “considered Udoka a close friend and joined the staff specifically to work for him.”
Now three of those assistant coaches are following Udoka to Houston after the Rockets hired Udoka as head coach in April. Two others are receiving interest from other teams, suggesting Mazzulla is ready to put his own assistants in place. One of them has already joined up: three-time NBA champion Sam Cassell.
Cassell was an assistant coach for five years in Washington, then spent the last nine years as a member of Doc Rivers’ staff, first with the Clippers and then in Philadelphia. He’s likely to fill Damon Stoudamire’s old role as Mazzulla’s right-hand man.
Not only did Mazzulla inherit Udoka’s old assistants last year, but he was short three coaches by the playoffs. Former lead assistant Will Hardy took the Jazz head-coaching job. Mazzulla’s old job wasn’t replaced when he got promoted, and Stoudamire left to take the Georgia Tech head job in March.
Stevens told reporters that the team tried to replace Stoudamire, but the timing was difficult.
Now Mazzulla is getting his own staff. Cassell is a great start. The only downside? Opposing players can’t resist doing Cassell’s signature dance to him after they hit big shots.
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