It appears to be only a matter of time before Ime Udoka becomes the next head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Regardless of the controversy that led to Udoka’s current situation with the Boston Celtics, ESPN’s Jalen Rose thinks he’s exactly who the Nets need right now.
On paper, Udoka might be the best NBA head coaching candidate out there. After building a stellar assistant coach resume, including one year with the Nets, he took over as head coach of the Celtics in 2021 and led them to the NBA Finals. However, his reputation was tarnished in the offseason after Boston was suspended for a full year following an investigation into improper comments made to a Celtics employee he was also involved in a sexual relationship with. While the Celtics said they would consider bringing Udoka back next season, the writing was on the wall immediately and so were the rumors that he might return to the Nets as a replacement for Steve Nash.
After Nash was fired on Tuesday, reports about the Nets zeroing in on Udoka started up almost immediately. Given that the franchise is currently dealing with the Kyrie Irving situation and is reeling from a 2-6 start to the 2022 NBA season, bringing the controversy that Udoka brings with him into the fold doesn’t sound like the most sound strategy for a return to normalcy.
However, ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose thinks Udoka’s on-court prowess and ability as a coach outweigh any concerns there might be about his off-court issues.
Ime Udoka will give the Nets a LEADER! @JalenandJacoby pic.twitter.com/BrG1vHNEsv
— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) November 2, 2022
“I think he will be a person that gets the roster to actually play to its potential, which we have not seen in the last couple of years. And let me just say one other word that doesn’t get said enough. He’s going to give them a leader,” said Rose on Wednesday’s edition of Jalen and Jacoby. “You look down at the box score, I see the 30 points. But you know what I don’t see from KD and Kyrie? Making the people around them better. Ime Udoka is now going to also give them strategy and leadership.”
For better or worse, if the Nets do hire Udoka and they get back on track to compete in the Eastern Conference, the concerns around his off-court issues will be minimized pretty quickly. And Rose’s comments are proof of that.
[Jalen Rose, Audacy]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.