Ime Udoka Shares Central Regret From End Of Celtics’ Tenure

Ime Udoka entered what would’ve been his second season with plenty of momentum for the Boston Celtics after a trip to the NBA Finals.

Instead, a violation of team rules led to being suspended by the team, which opened the door for Joe Mazzulla to serve as the interim before having that tag removed during the regular season.

The Celtics eventually cut ties with Udoka, who eventually found a new landing spot as the head coach of the Houston Rockets. On the day of his latest return to TD Garden, Udoka shared that there are still regrets that exist from the end of his time in Boston.

“The job wasn’t finished,” Udoka told reporters on Saturday, per WEEI’s Justin Turpin. “The relationships you build and the people you impact. Formed a lot of relationships this year. Obviously, wanted to run it back with the group you can build and grow with. (It was) letting people down.”

Udoka’s staff did produce the current core under Mazzulla, who elevated from his assistant job with leadership from veteran players.

Coming off of a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Celtics host Udoka’s Rockets on Saturday night with tipoff set for 7 p.m. ET.