Getty Head coach Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics looks on.
After three seasons together, the Brooklyn Nets parted ways with head coach Steve Nash on November 1. The change came after a slow start to the season following back-to-back disappointing playoff exits.
After Nash and the Nets mutually agreed to part ways, the hunt began to find his replacement. And the frontrunner seemed to be suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, according to NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Ime Udoka has emerged as a strong frontrunner to be the next Brooklyn Nets head coach and the sides have begun discussions, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Nets are in the midst of their search process and are continuing to do due diligence.
But within a week of firing Nash, the Nets changed course in their pursuit of Udoka and named Jacque Vaughan their new head coach, Charania reported on November 9.
The Brooklyn Nets have named Jacque Vaughn as their head coach.
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Nets Pursuit of Udoka Was Brought to ‘Screeching Halt’
Udoka was suspended by the Boston Celtics earlier this season for violating team conduct policies. The optics of the Nets hiring that same head coach less than two months later would not have been ideal, especially amid the controversy surrounding Kyrie Irving’s suspension. Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports reported that the league interjected to bring the Nets’ pursuit of Udoka to a “screeching halt.”
“People in Boston were not happy he [Ime] was getting another job already. But that isn’t a surprise,” Robinson quoted an unnamed source as saying on November 9.
Ime Udoka, Nets additives: Chatter in Brooklyn was that league stepped into the potential hire.
“It came to a screeching halt,” a close Nets source shared with @BallySports.
“People in Boston were not happy he [Ime] was getting another job already. But that isn’t a surprise.”
But even beyond the ethics of hiring Udoka, there was concern about whether bringing such negative attention to the franchise would even be worth the risk. Charania added that people within the Nets organization had concerns about how much of an impact his hiring would have on the team’s ability to compete in the Eastern Conference.
“The Nets changed course from their initial plan to hire Udoka due to several factors, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the decision-making told The Athletic. These factors include an investigation and due diligence process by the Nets into the suspended coach taking longer than initially expected,” Charania wrote.
“The outcry after word of their plan became known to people outside and inside the organization and the short- and long-term question marks around the team’s ability to contend in the Eastern Conference as a result of the indefinite suspension of Irving.”
Udoka Not Likely to Coach Celtics Again
After violating the Celtics’ code of conduct, Udoka’s future with the team is in doubt. Many believe that Udoka getting suspended instead of getting fired is a technicality as the Celtics continue to gather information on the severity of the situation.
Jared Weiss of The Athletic believes that Udoka has coached his last game for the Celtics, writing that it is unlikely he returns to Boston’s bench once his suspension is over.
“That’s the consensus. I haven’t had anyone in the organization tell me they don’t think he’s coming back. I feel like they’re moving on with that expectation and that the reason for a suspension is more about whatever legal processes are happening right now rather than they genuinely want to reassess it in the future,” Weiss said to Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype.
“I’m sure there is some degree of uncertainty whether or not they would bring him back. I don’t think it’s like he’s fired, and it’s set in stone, and that’s it. I’m sure there’s some evaluation that has to be done at some point, but it seems so unlikely that he would come back.”
Now that Vaughan is the permanent head coach, the Nets have a much clearer picture of where they are headed.