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Ime Udoka
The Houston Rockets have made a deal to make Ime Udoka the franchise’s next head coach.
According to several media reports in the U.S. on Monday, Houston Rockets had before committing to Udoka talked to the league office and the Boston Celtics.
The talks were about the circumstances surrounding the end of the coach’s tenure with the Celtics.
Udoka was fired last off-season after the Celtics discovered he was in an inappropriate relationship with a fellow team employee.
Best known in his playing days for his defensive stopper role with the San Antonio Spurs, Udoka’s only season of head coaching experience came in 2021/2022.
That was when he led the Celtics to a 51-31 record and an NBA Finals appearance.
At the end of the regular season, the Rockets declined to pick up an option on the contract of Stephen Silas, officially opening a head coaching vacancy.
Silas had a combined record of 59-177 in his three seasons leading Houston through a full roster tear-down and rebuild.
The Rockets will be one of three teams with a 14-percent chance at landing the top overall pick in the 2023 draft.
This will be as the team looks to build around a very young core of Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason.
At full strength, the Rockets had the second-youngest starting line-up in the league this season, averaging 21 years and 147 days old. (dpa/NAN)
