Marcus Smart appears to be sad that Ime Udoka appears to be like prone to be leaving the Celtics to be the brand new head coach of the Nets.
Smart was amongst a number of Celtics gamers who expressed confusion and shock in September, when the crew suspended Udoka for a 12 months because of violations of organizational insurance policies. Now, lower than six weeks later, the Celtics are reportedly permitting Udoka to go to Brooklyn to exchange Steve Nash, who was fired on Tuesday. In an interview with The Boston Globe on Wednesday earlier than the Celtics’ street recreation towards the Cavaliers, Smart voiced some displeasure within the information.
“Obviously, we wish he was here,” Smart informed the Globe. “We haven’t any management over that. It undoubtedly sucks. I assume it was deemed that no matter occurred was sufficient for him to not be the coach right here, however I assume not sufficient for him (not) to be a coach anyplace else, clearly. …
“His name got slandered and slaughtered and it was, ‘He’ll probably never coach again,’ ” Smart continued. “And a few months later, now he’s presumably going to be the coach of one in all our greatest rivals?
“It’s tough. It makes no sense. But we can’t control that. We have to control what we can, and I love the team here. I love the coaching staff. I love (interim head coach) Joe (Mazzulla).”
After a prolonged unbiased investigation, the Celtics issued a season-long suspension to Udoka, who reportedly had an improper intimate relationship with a feminine member of the group. Udoka accepted the punishment, however the Celtics reportedly had been by no means going to face in the way in which of him taking a job elsewhere because the chance of him returning to Boston appeared low.
Smart was amongst a number of Celtics gamers who grew to become shut with Udoka in his first and solely season in Boston as he led the crew to the NBA Finals. On media day in September, simply days after the crew was caught off guard by Udoka’s suspension, Smart and different gamers mentioned they hadn’t been given any particulars about what occurred that led to Udoka’s suspension.
“It’s been hell for us,” Smart mentioned on media day.
It seems the gamers nonetheless don’t know any particulars, and Smart mentioned he believed that Udoka could be again subsequent season.
“We obviously thought he’d be back, but obviously the team and organization felt a different way,” Smart informed the Globe. “Unfortunately, that’s the enterprise facet of it and now we have to cope with it.
“Now he’s possibly going to take a job right down the street from us and be coaching the same guys we were trying to beat to get to where we were last year.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com