Head coach Joe Mazzulla had the interim tag removed by the Celtics, but star forward Jayson Tatum hopes Ime Udoka lands on his feet and revives his coaching career. He even called the suspended Udoka his favorite coach he’s played under, he told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
“It’s been a tough situation for everyone involved,” Tatum said. “Whatever happened, happened. That didn’t have anything to do with me. I can’t take away the relationship that me and him had. And the impact that he had on us last season. I love Coach K, I love Brad (Stevens), I love (Mazzulla), I love all those guys. It’s just a different kind of relationship I had with Ime. He’s probably the most favorite coach I’ve had.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Stevens, now the Celtics‘ top exec, wanted to remove the cloud of uncertainty surrounding Mazzulla, leading to his promotion, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter links). Stevens has also been impressed how Mazzulla has navigated a difficult situation. “He’s an outstanding leader,” Stevens said. “I think he’s done a great job right from the get-go of galvanizing our locker room around a mission.” Mazzulla’s promotion was announced on Thursday.
- Villanova’s largest fan base is situated in New York City, according to former coach Jay Wright, and that’s why there’s plenty of excitement that the Knicks have former Wildcats Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, he told Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “Villanova people are just going crazy over it because they’re all Knicks fans,” he said. “It’s really thrilling for all of us. To see the joy it’s bringing all the Villanova people, and I should say the people who aren’t Knicks fans, they are now, Villanovans. You’re like a proud father, you’re watching your kids out there. It’s like they’re starting a business or something.”
- Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie have already emerged as the Nets’ new leaders after being acquired at the trade deadline, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post (subscription required). “Right now, I think it’s been Spencer and Mikal, just naturally their IQ and want and feel for the game,” coach Jacque Vaughn said.
Nova fans are not Knicks fans, they’re Sixers fans….
Yeah, would Jay Wright of all people know about the Villanova fan base, huh?
Generally, that is true but Big East “Classic” schools have a strong connection to MSG and the New York area provides a lot of their students, so he’s not totally off base. He coached at a NYC area school himself, Hofstra, before he landed the job at Villanova. I think the NYC connection is even stronger in Syracuse which is actually further away from NYC than Villanova.
I’m both a Nova fan and a Knicks fan, it’s not uncommon.
NY Metro area: 20M
Philly Metro area: 6M
Villanova to NY Metro area: 90 minutes
Villanova is not a commuter school; it’s ranked #51
There’s no reason to assume Villanova is not full of Knicks fans.
The Nets definitely have an interesting mixture of talent on their roster now, and I think they came away form the trade about as well as they could, with all things being considered.
They’re basically a tier up improved before all the KD,Kyrie, and Harden nonsense. I just wish KD would have picked better players to pair up with instead of two malcontents, but that’s neither here nor there.
Simmons, Dinwiddie, Johnson, Bridges, and Claxton is a very solid, albeit unspectacular starting 5.
Then, they’ll have Curry, Cam Thomas, Patty Mills, Harris, Finney-Smith, O’Neale, and Sharpe for however they want to round out their rotation..
Depending on how they use Simmons, I think they could definitely use another PG moving forward, and then they’re also going to need to find some more size to backup Claxton.
It’ll definitely be interesting to see how they reshape their roster during the off-season, seeing who stays, who goes, and who they’re able to bring in.
That is especially considering out of those twelve aforementioned players only Simmons, Finney-Smith, and Bridges have any guaranteed money past next season. Thomas and Sharpe have club options, so they can be kept, but they both still have some growing to do if they want their options picked up, especially Sharpe.1
The Nets came out of this with a very deep roster, including several who are now out of the rotation and are part of the “stay ready” group. The two you didn’t name – Watanabe and Sumner – were having strong seasons before these deals.
Agree Richard nice post
I think they are 6-8 deep already with room for growth that wasn’t there 2 weeks ago
Will be interested if they add / or cash out next year ( apparently they had 6 first rders fjr bridges and dfs on the table already ) – Hope they continue to build up tho as I like the mix currently
Grab whiteside or Favors
Why?
Nets would have won the trade if they could ship Simmons elsewhere for a 1st and salary fillers to gain cap flexibility and really try to build around this new vet core…
Nova sucks now that Wright’s gone – and I say that as something of a Nova fan.
Dinwiddie is a baller …….
How long I’ve been telling ya .
Nets not building around Ben. Is a mistake.
Hart was an excellent pickup.
Just another player from FA or a trade. And Knicks time is arriving. Rebuild rebuild rebuild. Finally getting it done.
“Bklyn Bridges” ……..
“Bklyn Bridges” “Bklyn Bridges”
“Bklyn Bridges” “Bklyn Bridges”
………………….