The Brooklyn Net’s head coaching job was made vacant this morning with the team announcing the firing of Steve Nash from his position. Brooklyn is already making moves to replace Nash, and has been in talks today with suspended Celtic’s head coach Ime Udoka, with expectations to finalize a deal in the next couple of days.
Nash’s Demise
Only the timing of Nash’s firing came as a surprise to NBA fans this morning. Brooklyn currently sits at 12th place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-5 record, despite having elite talent on the roster. Since the arrival of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving the Nets have continuingly underperformed their championship expectations. Not all of Brooklyn’s woes can be placed at the feet of Nash, but his inexperience in coaching has been obvious since his arrival.
Suspended Celtics coach Ime Udoka has emerged as the likely next Brooklyn Nets head coach and his hiring could be finalized as soon as the next 24-to-48 hours, sources tell ESPN. Celtics will let him leave for another job.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 1, 2022
From Boston to Brooklyn
Brooklyn is now turning to a man with a recently proven track record in NBA coaching. Ime Udoka received the Boston Celtics’ head coaching job last year after Brad Stevens moved to the general manager position. His team’s year started out rough, but went on a run midway through the season to achieve a 51-31 record. They then made it through the playoffs to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Udoka’s job seemed more than secure after his performance last year. That all changed when the Celtic’s announced that Udoka would be suspended for the entire 22-23 season. Though the details of why he was suspended are still unclear, the Celtic’s statement claimed that Udoka had an “improper consensual relationship with a female member of the team staff.”
The suspension made Udoka’s future with Boston murky at best. But now it appears his future will be in Brooklyn. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweeted this morning that Udoka is the likely replacement for Nash, and the deal could be done, “as soon as the next 24-48 hours”.
Udoka’s Next Challenge
The Nets are trusting that Udoka can replicate the success he had in Boston, especially defensively. The Nets are currently ranked 28th out of 30 teams in defensive rating. Udoka will have to prove that he can handle big personalities like Durant, Irving, and Ben Simmons, and get them to play as a winning unit with other roster pieces like Seth Curry, Royce O’Neal, and Nicolas Claxton. Something Steve Nash was unable to do with his time in Brooklyn.
Written by Seth Herlinger
Sources:
Bleacher Report: NBA Rumors: Ime Udoka ‘Strong Front-Runner’ for Nets HC Job After Steve Nash Exit
ESPN: Sources: Nets moving toward hiring Ime Udoka as head coach
Sporting News: Ime Udoka suspension update: Celtics coach reportedly used ‘crude language’ following findings in investigation
Top and featured image courtesy of Bruna Aguirre‘s Unsplash page – Creative Commons License
Inset image courtesy of All Pro Reels‘ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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