Rockets beat writer calls hiring fired Boston Celtics HC best decision Tilman Fertitta has ever made

The Houston Rockets hiring fired former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka over the 2023 offseason was called "the best decision Tilman Fertitta has made" by The Houston Chronicle's Michael Shapiro.

"Houston's recent record is impressive in itself," Shapiro prefaced before saying, "More important is the tenor of the franchise writ large, which stands in stark contrast to recent seasons.

"There was a notable lack of suitable structure and discipline in the Stephen Silas era, and moments of poor play often descended into extended bouts of basketball misery. We've seen the opposite under Udoka. Jalen Green went from nearly being benched to a late-season surge rarely seen across the sport. Whitmore went from the G League to major rotation minutes, and Şengün points to his strong relationship with Udoka as a driver of his success. The Rockets appeared to be wasting their young talent for much of the Silas era. Hiring Udoka is arguably the best decision team owner Tilman Fertitta has made to date."

Ime Udoka took ownership of Boston Celtics mistakes, paving way to owning Rockets successes

Udoka's sins -- which included at the very least an inappropriate relationship with a Celtics staffer that Danny Ainge hired and was also rumored to include an inappropriate relationship with a team owner's wife, though that was a rumor started by Joe Budden -- were mistakes the 2022 Eastern Conference Championship-winning coach owned up to upon arriving in Houston as the new Rockets coach.

“Yeah, I mean, honestly my part in it was to take ownership and accountability for my part,” Udoka said. “They had a choice to make a decision, and they went that route. My thing was own up to it, take responsibility, and I served the suspension. I had to own it honestly. Same thing that I preach to the guys. I can’t sit here and not take accountability myself.”

By recognizing where he went wrong and allowing himself to have a clean slate, Udoka opened the door for all of his success with the Rockets.

Accountability will always set you free.