The Boston Celtics suspended their head coach Ime Udoka on September 21 for a year following an unspecified violation of organizational policy. Reports suggested that Udoka was allegedly in an improper relationship with a female staff of the Celtics organization. Recently, NBA Insider Stephen A. Smith suggested that the reason the Boston Celtics didn’t fire Ime Udoka was that they did not want him to end up with Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets, leaving NBA fans in a frenzy.
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Kevin Durant reportedly asked for a change in the Nets’ management this off-season. The two-time NBA champ allegedly wanted the Brooklyn Nets to fire their head coach Steve Nash and general manager, Sean Marks.
Smith claims Kevin Durant and the Nets would’ve hired Ime Udoka
Stephen A. Smith believes that the Celtics chose to make Ime Udoka stay because they feared the Nets would hire him. Smith stated, “I believe that part of the reason he [Ime Udoka] was suspended, but not fired is because the Boston Celtics did not want him to end up in Brooklyn.”?
The ESPN analyst felt that the Nets would have replaced Nash with Udoka and he would have become the head coach. Smith clarified that he had no inside information about his claims, and it was his own opinion.?
Fans were bewildered by Smith’s comments
The NBA fans were left amused by Smith’s recent comments, leading to a series of interesting perspectives. One of the fans said,?“LMAOOO they scared asf. Have some shame Celtics.”?
LMAOOO they scared asf. Have some shame Celtics
— Ball Knower (@user12346758) October 18, 2022
The Boston Celtics have found themselves in a tough situation after the Ime Udoka controversy surfaced. The assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will take over from Udoka as the interim coach following his suspension. Here are some of the reactions from the fans.
— 𝕕𝕠𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕞 𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕚𝕦𝕤 👑 (@MikeyDiggins) October 18, 2022
Facts. It’s beyond obvious. They know what they’re doing 😂
— J (@jayfrombklny) October 18, 2022
He may not be right on the exact but I do believe that they only suspended bc they want to keep him as an asset. They’re not fully ready to let him go yet.
— O. (@ohitsoly) October 18, 2022
— championship brad🍾 (@CelticsPost) October 18, 2022
Gonna coach a team without Kyrie and 35 year old KD? Ooooo scary
— Alex (@turnsign) October 18, 2022
https://twitter.com/BasedJace_/status/1582391176610861056
Damn that's a really good point
— Zinzan (@ZinzanWhitelaw) October 18, 2022
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https://twitter.com/keshavanrks/status/1582404178227662848?s=20&t=fiWfn3J4V0htPWOAP6rRFQ
Many fans believed that Stephen A. Smith’s claims could be possibly true. The Celtics see Udoka as an important asset and would not want to let go of him easily. The Celtics have a huge task in hand this season and all eyes will be on Joe Mazzulla to lead the team toward a championship victory. The Boston Celtics made it to the NBA finals last season where they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
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However, Kevin Durant’s Nets certainly seem to be a possible spot for Udoka in the eyes of the fans. Meanwhile, some fans believed that Smith’s perspective may not be reflecting the actual scenario inside the Celtics team. Let us know your take on the whole situation in the comments.