Farewell, Ime: A clear step in the right direction for the Boston Celtics

In a franchise loaded with turmoil, the Brooklyn Nets decided to throw even more oil on the fire by reportedly hiring the former Boston Celtics head coach, Ime Udoka. Back on September 23, Brad Stevens and the Cs organization made the decision to suspend Udoka for the entire 2022/23 season for several violations of the team’s policies. With Udoka tied up under contract with Boston, Brooklyn needs to send a trade package to secure a head coach that now has a history of using “crude” language to women in a professional workplace setting.

This now only adds to the toxic environment Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant have created with their tumultuous attitudes outside the white lines. From the Celtics’ perspective, this only helps them turn the page even faster. Boston does not have the cloud of Udoka hanging over it throughout a season that hopefully finds its way back to the NBA Finals. Having someone that is willing to reportedly speak to females the way the findings of the law firm stated gives the perception that the organization that person is a part of endorses that kind of behavior.

Firing Steve Nash solves no problems for the Nets, but letting Udoka leave eliminates one for the Celtics. Since then, Udoka has released one apology and has yet to show his face to the public eye. Despite how successful he was as the head man for the Eastern Conference-winning Boston Celtics, a standup organization like the Cs has no business employing people who treat women like puppets. He put not only Nia Long, his finance in a difficult situation, but every female member of the Celtics’ staff along with his 10-year-old son.

In the press conference that addressed the Udoka suspension, Stevens gave his full endorsement of Joe Mazzulla going forward, stating:

"“Joe’s the best choice to do that by a long shot…As you go through the whole process, it all hits you, but we have the best people in place to do that, and Joe is the best person to do that in our organization.”"

Ime Udoka is to blame for uproar against females in Boston Celtics organization

Some may say it was Twitter that caused the uproar against the females in the Boston organization, but at the end of the day, Ime Udoka’s selfishness should really be to blame for all of it. The Boston Celtics have begun their season full of excitement, behind a new head coach that was built for the job at hand. His attention to detail on both the offensive and defensive end along with the amount of support given by the players so far is evident. Joe Mazzulla has been married happily for eight years, with no scandals or drama surrounding the relationship.

Even though that has no correlation with the talent and knowledge of a coach, it is clear that Mazzulla has strong values and respects women. It is not always about having superstar talent as Udoka may be in the coaching department, it is about having those intangibles that make you a good person. It may be too quick to overreact, and shame Udoka given that not many people know the whole story, but the swiftness of two of the most intelligent people in the Boston organization to suspend a coach that was so valuable should provide enough for Celtics fans to realize what Udoka did was more than just wrong.

Nash was not the answer as head coach of such a talented team, but Udoka is far from the solution. Udoka’s time in Boston was filled with some exceptional basketball on the court but as a former employee of the Nets, he has the ability to put himself in the news for non-basketball-related things. The Udoka chapter in Boston will now always be remembered by the talented team that was on the floor, not for the man on the sidelines.