Celtics Owner Sending ‘Good Vibes’ To Ime Udoka Ahead Of New Season

Ime Udoka had an unceremonious exit from the Boston Celtics, and it’s not one owner Wyc Grousbeck likes to revisit.

The Celtics issued Udoka a season-long suspension just prior to last season’s training camp after he violated team policies reportedly stemming from an improper relationship with a female staffer. Udoka’s tenure with Boston officially came to an end when the Celtics took away the interim label from Joe Mazzulla around the All-Star break.

Despite how things ended with the Celtics, it didn’t take long for Udoka to get back in the NBA. The Houston Rockets hired Udoka as their next head coach in late April.

Grousbeck didn’t want to delve into Udoka’s new opportunity when speaking with The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, but also shared he doesn’t hold hard feelings toward the 45-year-old.

“I’m going to leave the Ime situation in the past,” Grousbeck told Himmelsbach. “We parted ways, so I don’t have additional comment on it, except I don’t wish anybody any ill will in the league. I obviously send out good vibes to everybody, and we’re moving forward.”

Udoka is in a completely different position now than he was in with the Celtics. Udoka takes over a young Rockets squad that isn’t close at the moment to contending for an NBA title and lost at least 38 games each of the past three seasons.

But Udoka does have pieces to work with in Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore as he looks to develop the young talent while establishing a culture. It also helped that the Rockets weren’t bashful in spending this offseason, signing Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.

Whether they admit it or not, the Celtics will watch from afar to see how Udoka fares in his new job. And it should be quite the encounter when Udoka travels back to Boston to take on the Celtics for the first time next season.