Rockets Sold Ime Udoka On Houston's Young Corps, Salary Cap Space And Draft Lottery Odds

The Houston Rockets sold Ime Udoka on salary cap space and draft lottery odds ahead of his hiring Monday afternoon.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets became the first team to fill their head coaching vacancy this off-season. The Rockets hired Ime Udoka as their new head coach Monday afternoon, as first reported by The Athletic.

The Rockets' decision to hire Udoka was rapid, given that Houston's front-runner was Frank Vogel and the franchise had yet to interview Nick Nurse following his firing from the Toronto Raptors on Friday. 

Udoka had many suitors when determining his next destination. But according to ESPN, Udoka chose the Rockets due to Houston's young corps, salary cap space and the possibility of landing Victor Wembanyama during the 2023 NBA Draft. 

The Rockets will enter the draft lottery with a 14.0 percent chance to land the No. 1 overall pick and the rights to the French phenom. Houston is in a three-way tie alongside the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs.

Udoka chose the Rockets over becoming a prime candidate for the Raptors' coaching vacancy.

He spent one season at the helm as coach of the Boston Celtics during the 2021-22 campaign. Udoka became one of the league's top coaches after orchestrating the best mid-season turnaround in league history, which resulted in the Celtics reaching the 2022 NBA Finals.

Boston began the season 18-21. But under Udoka, the Celtics were able to save their subpar season by going 33-10 following in-season adjustments and team meetings. 

"Losing him after one season was tough," Celtics' beat reporter John Karalis said. "Udoka spent his time in the NBA as a grinder of a player, and he carried that work into his coaching career. The players respect that about him, and he uses that experience to connect with his guys.

"He's been through the battles as a hard-nosed role player. He's been part of a championship team. He carries himself like a leader and a guy who knows what he's doing, and the guys tend to follow." 

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