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Ime Udoka reportedly takes 3 Celtics assistant coaches with him to Rockets

jack baer
Staff writer
·2 min read
18

Ime Udoka is taking some of his old Boston Celtics assistant coaches with him to the Houston Rockets.

The new Rockets head coach is expected to hire current Celtics assistants Ben Sullivan, Aaron Miles and Mike Moser after the Celtics' elimination by the Miami Heat in the NBA's Eastern Conference finals, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

Sullivan and Miles were both part of Udoka's original coaching staff in Boston in 2021, while Moser was hired as a player enhancement coach last summer. Sullivan in particular goes way back with Udoka, as he broke into the NBA as a San Antonio Spurs video intern at the recommendation of Udoka, then a Spurs assistant.

The Rockets hired Udoka as their head coach last month to replace the fired Stephen Silas. Udoka, who led the Celtics to the NBA Finals last year in his first season with the team, saw his time in Boston come to an end after he was suspended an entire season for violating the team's code of conduct. The Celtics have remained mostly mum on the exact reason for the discipline, but it has been reported Udoka allegedly had a consensual relationship with a female staffer and allegedly made inappropriate remarks toward her.

Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka directs his players from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Ime Udoka got some of the kids in the divorce from the Celtics. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The Celtics promoted assistant Joe Mazzulla to interim head coach as Udoka sat out the season, then opted to give Mazzulla the permanent gig during a successful regular season. Mazzulla led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals and nearly pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history by tying the Heat after falling behind 3-0, but came up short with a blowout Game 7 loss.

Now, Mazzulla's got a new problem to fix.

The Celtics' coaching staff has been gutted

Here's how the Celtics coaching staff looked when they reached the NBA Finals under Udoka, and where they are now.

  • Ime Udoka (Rockets head coach)

  • Will Hardy (Utah Jazz head coach)

  • Damon Stoudamire (Georgia Tech head coach)

  • Ben Sullivan (Rockets assistant coach)

  • Joe Mazzulla (Celtics head coach)

  • Aaron Miles (Rockets assistant coach)

  • Tony Dobbins (Celtics assistant coach)

Of the seven people who helped the Celtics win the Eastern Conference, only two are still in Boston. The Celtics played with a short coaching staff all season after the departures of Hardy and Stoudamire, and now the team has several spots to fill under a head coach who struggled at times in the playoffs.