We’ve been inundated with all the moves the Rockets might make this offseason to improve their chances of making the NBA playoffs next year.
Guess what?
The Rockets have already stolen the offseason with the impending trade that is bringing Kevin Durant to Houston while shipping Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and a ton of draft capital to Phoenix. But the biggest flex came days before the blockbuster trade.
The organization has rewarded head coach Ime Udoka with a reported long-term contract extension believed to be in the eight-figure range, making him among the highest-paid coaches in the NBA. It was just the smartest thing team owner Tilman Fertitta and general manager Rafael Stone could do.
Udoka, 47, has been nothing but outstanding and everything these young Rockets have needed while ascending from Western Conference bottom feeders to one of the elite teams in the NBA. Who takes a team from not making the playoffs in one season to the No.2 seed in the Western Conference the next?
Udoka.
Since walking into the building in 2023, he has put in the work and gotten the results. The Rockets went 52-30 this past season and broke through to the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Yeah, they got knocked out in the first round by their aging nemesis, Golden State, but that’s part of the growing pains and learning to win.
Udoka also did a superb job in his only season in Boston, guiding the Celtics to the NBA Finals during the 2021-22 season.
Tilman and Stone knew a leader and winner when they saw one.
It’s still kind of bizarre how the Rockets ended up with Udoka. Reading between the lines and innuendos, we know Udoka made bad decisions with another Celtics colleague after the franchise suspended him from the sidelines for the 2022-23 season and ultimately fired him.
Where some NBA teams might have been apprehensive given the chatter about his dismissal, Stone extended the proverbial olive branch to Udoka.
And the low-profile, soft-spoken coach who ain’t afraid to confront LeBron James for being whiney, has shown his gratitude by transitioning the Rockets from a rebuilding franchise of youngsters to a team that could compete for it all next season with a couple of smart additions.
The growth of young players under Udoka, like Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Alpren Sengun, Green and Smith has been amazing. Udoka’s ability to push the right buttons at the right time with his young core has been fun to watch.
The Rockets have won 93 games in two seasons under Udoka after winning just 59 games in the three seasons before his arrival.
Other NBA teams have taken notice and taken an interest in Udoka. The New York Knicks came sniffing around this offseason, hoping to lure Udoka to the Big Apple. The Rockets denied their request to interview Udoka.
It’s good to see that the organization has taken the necessary step of showing Udoka his value and locking him up.
