Celtics rumours: Insider says Ime Udoka is ‘done’

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Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka addresses the media.

When the Boston Celtics announced they had suspended head coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season, they added in their announcement that Udoka’s future with the team would be determined at a later date.

That doesn’t mean they will fire Udoka, but it doesn’t mean they won’t either. Details about what exactly happened behind closed doors remain scarce. However, those in the know believe Udoka’s actions could spell the end of his tenure as head coach of the Celtics, but the end of his time as NBA head coach, period.

Ethan Strauss from House of Strauss revealed what an NBA agent told him after Udoka’s actions came to light.

“In light of this report and everything else that has been said privately, an agent friend of mine gave his verdict on Ime Udoka’s NBA head coach’s prospects: ‘He’s done.’

“My guy isn’t the only one saying that. This is how many NBA insiders really see the situation now and as of Thursday. While no one can fully predict the future, it is a common interpretation of current events.”

Until now, Udoka has been suspended for the season, but that could change over time as more details emerge from this scandal.

Matt Barnes: ‘It’s uglier than we thought’

Former NBA player Matt Barnes, who last played for the Golden State Warriors in 2017, explained on Instagram why he rolled back his original defense of Udoka when this situation came to light. Faced with new information, he made it clear that what had happened was worse

“Last night, without knowing all the facts, I spoke in Ime Udoka’s defense and after finding out the facts, after speaking, I deleted what I had posted because this Boston situation is deep, messy and 100 times uglier than any of us thought,” said Barnes.

Barnes would go on to say that hearing what was going on behind the scenes were actions he could not condone.

“Some things have happened that I cannot condone, that I cannot deny, and it is not my place to tell you what happened. If it comes out in the end, it comes out in the end. But that’s why I deleted my post last night because after I posted it I got a call from someone going through all the details and shit runs deep. I am praying for everyone involved and I hope everyone gets through this.”

Udoka and Barnes played in the NBA around the same time, but despite playing for some of the same teams — Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks — the two never crossed paths as teammates.

Grant Williams endorses Joe Mazzulla

After the Celtics suspended Udoka, they followed up his suspension by promoting assistant coach Joe Mazzulla to interim head coach.

When the Celtics aggregated the report on NBC Sport Boston’s Twitter page that Mazzulla would be promoted to interim head coach, Grant Williams liked the tweetshows support for his new coach.

Mazzulla will be the Celtics’ third head coach in the last three seasons.