Ime Udoka head coach of Houston Rockets, recently declared that he would shortly be retiring due to
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Ime Udoka will be the next head coach of the Houston Rockets. In 2021–22, Udoka led the Boston Celtics to their first-ever NBA Finals as head coach. But the Celtics benched him for the entire season because of a supposed inappropriate, consenting connection with another team member. During the season, Joe Mazzulla was elevated to the position of interim head coach by the Celtics, who then removed the interim tag to make Mazzulla their permanent coach.
Earlier in the season, after the Brooklyn Nets sacked Steve Nash as coach, Udoka engaged in negotiations with the team. According to reports, the Celtics were open to Udoka signing with the Nets, but in the end, they decided to elevate assistant Jacque Vaughn.
Stephen Silas had led Houston for the previous three seasons. He was first hired by the Rockets in the 2020 offseason with the understanding that he would be working with James Harden and a win-now team. Harden, on the other hand, requested a trade, which caused the Rockets to finish last in the league. Houston finished both the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons with the lowest record in the NBA. They won just 22 games this season, which helped them climb to the third-worst record in the league. Not long after the season concluded, Silas was let go.
Based on all available information, Houston would prefer to resume winning in the near future. Since the Oklahoma City Thunder own their first-round picks in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 NBA Drafts, they have no need to lose anymore. The Rockets have accumulated so much future draft capital that they could realistically trade for many high-impact veterans this summer if they so choose. Rumors have linked Houston and Harden to a potential off-season reunion.
The Rockets have acquired a successful player in Udoka to spearhead their turnaround endeavor. Although there are still many unanswered questions about the roster, Houston has a new head coach going forward.
