Boston Celtics rumor: Recently fired Lakers HC a possible coaching hire
With the Boston Celtics suspending Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season due to his role in an intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise’s staff, assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is set to become Boston’s interim coach per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The relationship between the head coach and the unnamed Cs staff member is considered a violation of the organization’s guidelines. The penalty for Udoka is unprecedented for a sitting head coach in the NBA — especially given that it matches the suspension Suns Robert Sarver received for potential unlawful activity in the workplace towards subordinates.
Mazzulla has been with the Celtics since 2019 as one of the holdovers from current President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens’ coaching staff during his time as head coach. He was there for the failed Kyrie Irving final season with the team’s most talented roster since the ‘big 3’ days, as well as the Eastern Conference finals run down in the 2020 bubble postseason, the gentlemen’s sweep at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets in the 2021 postseason’s first round, and Boston’s deep run to Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals. To say he has valuable experience with the Celtics is an understatement.
With that said, the team is still likely to target a veteran name in the coaching game: former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.
Don't be surprised if Frank Vogel is considered for the Celtics bench. Joe Mazzulla is expected to be elevated, but the staff is thin with head coaching experience. Vogel has a longstanding relationship with Brad Stevens.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) September 22, 2022
What Frank Vogel brings to the Boston Celtics
While Frank Vogel arguably lost control of the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers, crashing and burning to an 11th place finish and failing to make even the NBA Play-in, he did bring them a title in his first season with the franchise during the COVID-19 upended 2019-20 season.
That season, he broke the mold of a traditional lineup by putting the ball in the hands of LeBron James and surrounding him with two wings on the perimeter in lieu of a traditional point guard. Vogel doesn’t need to do the same with Boston because of how strong the Celtics backcourt depth is, but bringing someone in who is unafraid to shun what’s expected to tailor to his personnel is a win for a Cs organization now in set to experience some immediate changes.