In the wake of the suspension of Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 NBA season for violations of team rules, an interim coach said Monday that his goal is to simply continue building upon what allowed the Celtics to reach the NBA.
The team's media day was held in the Boston suburbs. Carrying on the identity of our players is at stake. It was our defense, it was our buy-in from a defensive standpoint, and then we shared the ball and moved quickly on the offensive side.
I think it's the right way to go, as long as we stick to the things we were great at last year, and then find areas to improve on.
Everyone who stepped to the podium Monday was told that they were still coming to grips with the events of the last few days. The expectation was that Udoka's first year as head coach would be the beginning of a long run with the team.
The players had no idea that the team was considering suspending Udoka for violating team rules until the middle of last week. After meeting with the front office and ownership last week, the players admitted they had no idea what happened. According to sources, Udoka had an intimate relationship with a female member of the staff.
Jaylen Brown said he hadn't spoken to Udoka since last week. Some we were able to control and some we were not. We can't say what the best thing to do is.
I was a bit confused after the initial reaction. It's hard to make a comment on how things were supposed to go because no one has any information. Put our best foot forward is the best thing that can be done.
The privacy of everyone involved made for a very complicated situation for the Celtics to navigate, as the players were open about being in the dark over what took place, and where things were headed.
Marcus Smart is the team's longest tenured player and the NBA's reigning Defensive Player of the Year. We're waiting the same way as everyone else. As a player, you would like to know more, but that's not our thing. The people are involved. We should respect that privacy, just like we want our privacy respected. You would like to know but it's not an obligation.
"Like I said, they handled it the best they could with how they can do it and from what they know, and we have to just go from there."
While most of the rest of Udoka's staff was new to the franchise last season, he has been with Boston since 2019.
Additional time is a significant help to a team that is trying to process a lot at the moment.
Smart said it helped tremendously. It would have been different if we had someone new that we didn't know.
The man has been here. It's easier to adjust to a guy that knows you because he knows the scheme.
Stevens said last week that he thoroughly vetting those situations before he hired him as part of his staff. He said he used what he learned from those incidents to become a better person.
I've made errors. I can't be perfect. I have hurt people and had to learn from them to become a better person. I've focused on that.
I don't know how to recreate my identity on someone. I don't know how I can depend on my faith. How can I make a difference in people's lives? Good people have been around me.
He said that he wasn't the same person as before, but wouldn't give any more details.
I didn't have an identity at a certain point in my life because I was constantly having to build an identity. I think it's a question of identity. How can I find a way to impact people in a positive way? Throughout my life, that's what I learned.
The Celtics will not only be without Udoka, but both their starting center, Robert Williams III, who is out for another eight to 12 weeks, when they begin training camp on Tuesday.
It hasn't diminished the group's confidence that it can go a step further than it did last season and claim the franchise's first NBA Championship since 2008.
Is it possible that we can win a title? Is that true? The team believes it has what it takes to win a title, according to the man.
I believe that and I think everyone else does as well.
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