'Youth Is Not An Excuse': Inside Ime Udoka's Press Conference As Rockets Coach - Notebook
HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets held an introductory press conference to welcome Ime Udoka as their new head coach. Udoka's arrival embodies that the franchise is ready to move forward with its rebuilding project, which began in 2021 following the departures of James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Owner Tilman Fertitta and general manager Rafael Stone are delighted with the hiring of Udoka. And despite his controversial exit from the Boston Celtics, the Rockets have reassured their decision to hire Udoka.
An inappropriate workplace relationship led to the Celtics suspending Udoka in late September. And five months later, Boston fired the 45-year-old Portland native in favor of Joe Mazzulla.
"The NBA told me that they felt very comfortable with Ime becoming the coach of the Houston Rockets," Fertitta said. “So, that made me feel really good after a lengthy conversation with him. We’re a forgiving world and anybody that isn’t forgiving, then shame on them."
Udoka spent one season as coach of the Celtics during the 2021-22 season. He became one of the league's more prominent coaches after orchestrating the best mid-season turnaround in league history, which resulted in the Celtics reaching the 2022 NBA Finals.
"They’ve done their homework and due diligence of who I am as a person," Udoka said. "I spent the last off-season growing in a lot of ways. The situation has been resolved and I can’t speak more about it."
Why Udoka picked the Rockets over other teams:
When Udoka became available following his firing in February, he was a prime candidate for a franchise with a coaching vacancy. Rumors had Udoka linked to the Detroit Pistons following the departure of Dwane Casey. And Friday morning, Udoka became a top candidate for the Toronto Raptors' vacancy after the jettison of Nick Nurse.
Udoka had suitors when determining his next destination. He chose the Rockets due to the cap space the franchise will have to improve their young corps through free agency and the possibility of landing a top lottery pick during the 2023 NBA Draft.
But the decision to work alongside the Rockets' young corps headlined by Jalen Green sold Udoka on Houston. He remembers receiving his first career win with the Celtics in a 107-97 victory over Houston. Green scored 30 points on 8-for-10 shooting from behind the arc in his third career game.
"I took a big look at the landscape of what we have here in Houston," Udoka said. "It's a destination that's very attractive to players. And the young talent — sky's the limit as far as that's concerned. They've done a good job building for the future."
Udoka doesn't believe in using youth as an excuse:
Udoka is thrilled to be taking the helm of the Rockets' young corps and understands there will be growing pains. However, Udoka does not want to use their youth and inexperience as an excuse for their inevitable struggles.
His vision for the team is to expedite the developmental process by teaching the Rockets how to be professionals by learning from their on-court mistakes.
Udoka's belief is the same policy that helped the Celtics go from a young and exciting team to two wins away from an NBA championship.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were already All-Star teammates before Udoka's arrival. But each player took a significant step forward in their respective game under Udoka — making Brown and Tatum one of the league's best tandems.
"One of my first messages was 'youth is not an excuse," Udoka said. "Not making the right defensive assignment, taking bad shots, all of that has to be addressed and improved. That's my job to teach them and expedite the process.
"[I know I have to have patience] just like in Boston, I had to change some habits there as well. But it is no different than anywhere else."
Udoka's playing career has shaped his coaching style:
Toughness, respectability, accountability and defense are the adjectives used to describe Udoka as a coach.
The groundwork of his coaching philosophies began under the tutelage of Gregg Popovich when he served as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs from 2012 to 2019. But Udoka's coaching style mirrors his playing days as a journeyman in the NBA.
Udoka played eight seasons in the league from 2003-2011. His first full NBA season was with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2006-07 campaign. He joined the Spurs the following season and helped San Antonio reach the Western Conference Finals, where they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Overcoming adversity and obstacles is who I've been, growing up and in my playing career," Udoka said. "I have touched every role as a player and coach. I've been in a lot of situations where I can understand what the players are going through."
During his lone season in Boston, the Celtics ranked first in the league in field goal defense and fewest points allowed during the 2021-22 season. He was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month twice and finished fourth in voting for Coach of the Year honors.
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