Marcus Smart is dumbfounded that Ime Udoka will reportedly coach the Nets this season, and is voicing his questions publicly.
The Celtics point guard recently spoke to the Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, and questioned how Udoka’s conduct could warrant a yearlong suspension in Boston, but not impact his ability to land a job in Brooklyn.
Nets are showing no morals with Ime Udoka hire
“Obviously, we wish he was here,” said Smart. “We have no control over that. It definitely sucks. I guess it was deemed that whatever happened was enough for him not to be the coach here, but I guess not enough for him [not] to be a coach anywhere else, obviously.”
The Nets will reportedly hire Udoka to replace Steve Nash, whom the team fired Tuesday. The Celtics suspended Udoka for the season in late September due to an apparent inappropriate romantic relationship with a female subordinate.
NBA Insider Shams Charania reports Udoka made “unwanted comments” towards the woman.
“His name got slandered and slaughtered and it was ‘He’ll probably never coach again,” said Smart. “And a couple of months later, now he’s possibly going to be the coach of one of our biggest rivals?”
While Smart stressed that he “loves” new head coach Joe Mazzulla, the veteran’s frustration is palpable. He says the organization has shared scant details about Udoka’s situation with the players.
“It really doesn’t matter what we say [to the front office],” said Smart. “We can voice our opinion, but I’m sure it’s going to be, ‘Yeah, we hear you.’ And that’s it.”
Jaylen Brown, who said at Media Day he wanted more information about Udoka, told Himmelsback he’s happy his former coach is receiving another chance.
“I’m just happy to see a Black head coach end up back on his feet, because I’ve seen situations where something like this might not have been the case,” he said.
Smart’s and Brown’s comments indicate there’s dissatisfaction in the locker room over how the Celtics handled the situation, or at the least, how they communicated with the players. Udoka has been barred from speaking with Celtics players since his suspension was enacted.
When the suspension was announced, Smart said he was under the impression that Udoka would return next season.
Clearly, that won’t be happening.