The firing of former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka cost his new team, the Houston Rockets, when they decided not to make a move for James Harden in the offseason – settling for signing Fred VanVleet for a contract above the market –, written Brandon Scott of the Houston Chronicle.
Scott called the leader’s decision a “big miscalculation.”
“With first-year head coach Ime Udoka helping the Rockets move into the next phase of their rebuild, he decided that veteran point guard Fred VanVleet was a better fit for the team than James Harden,” Scott prefaced. before saying, “That was a big deal.” miscalculation, no matter how much you respect VanVleet’s game (which you should) or how much you resent Harden (also understandable).
Scott fantasized about a Harden-Alperen Sengun pick-and-roll; something that could have boosted the Rockets’ offense in place of Jalen Green’s heat checks.
“Instead of relying on Jalen Green’s magical shooting nights, which have been sporadic at best, replace Harden with VanVleet running the pick-and-roll with Alperen Sengun and you get a much more potent offense,” Scott wrote .
Udoka was not fired for his performance on the field. Rather the opposite. He led the Celtics to their first Finals appearance in over a decade in 2022, but was caught up in an off-court relationship with a female member of the organization and was deemed incapable of being retained due to that.
Udoka acknowledged his role in his suspension and eventual dismissal from the Cs.
“Yeah, I mean, honestly, my role was to take ownership and responsibility for my part,” Udoka said at a press conference. Press conference of April 26. “They had a choice to make a decision, and they chose this path. My thing was to take responsibility, and I served the suspension. I honestly had to own it. The same thing I preach to guys. I can’t stay here and not take responsibility myself.
This gamble by VanVleet, or the fact that he had the choice to land Harden but refused to do so, could be the mistake he has to own up to if his Rockets tenure deteriorates for on-court reasons.
