Richard Jefferson on Ime Udoka’s coaching style, says there’s a directness in his eyes

https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/why-f-k-there-you-wanna-win-right-then-f-g-i-tell-you-like-type-s-t-richard-jefferson-ime-udoka-s-coaching-style-says-there-s-directness-eyes



Why the f**k are you there?… You wanna win right? Then f*****g do what I tell you, like that type of s**t” - Richard Jefferson on Ime Udoka’s coaching style, says there’s a directness in his eyes



Head coach Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics addresses the media.Head coach Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics addresses the media.

Christopher Eluemuno
ANALYST

Modified Jun 07, 2022 04:27 AM IST


The Boston Celtics' success this season can easily be traced to the recruitment of first-time head coach Ime Udoka. The Nigerian-American has been in the NBA as an assistant coach for nine seasons.

He spent six seasons with the NBA champion Gregg Popovich during his time with the San Antonio Spurs. In his second season as an assistant coach, Udoka won the title with Popovich.


He then joined the Philadelphia 76ers under Brett Brown before a short stint with Steve Nash and the Brooklyn Nets.




His success in his first season with the Celtics has been commendable. He stands a chance of winning his first championship title as a head coach in his debut season.

Richard Jefferson spoke about Ime Udoka's coaching style and described it as direct and respectful, stating:

"You can see the directness in his eyes, like 'what the flip is you doing? Why the flip are you here?' And then you start to see the explanation, 'I don't care, I don't care' and then the player walks off.

"This motherfucker Ime be on them man in a good way, like in a respectful way. This is what you want, you wanna win, right? Then flip* do what I tell you like that type of shoot."


Can Ime Udoka lead the Boston Celtics to the championship title over Steve Kerr's Golden State Warriors?



Head Coach Ime Udoka of the Boston Celtics looks on during the second quarter.

Ime Udoka's recruitment by no means hinged on him getting the Boston Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals. It also certainly did not hinge on him winning it. Nor did it hinge upon him getting the Celtics to the finals and winning it.

While he was given a great group of players, his ceiling was possibly a playoff entry for his debut season as head coach. He has by all standards surpassed every expectation by taking the Celtics to the finals. They have the potential to win the title for the first time since 2008.

Tim Bontemps
Tim Bontemps
@TimBontemps
Jayson Tatum, with a smile, on Ime Udoka: “He’s a much better coach than he was a basketball player, and I think he knows that.”


He has turned his roster into a formidable team with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the pack. Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart has also captured the NBA's attention. Al Horford is having the best time of his 14-year long career, playing at a high level.

Despite a key element of the team, Robert Williams, being injured for part of the playoffs, Grant Williams stepped up. Grant Williams proved all of his doubters wrong.


Bob


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Yeah, this is all what Ktron's been talkin' 'bout, screaming from the mountain tops.  And the great news about all this?  This is just Ime's freshman campaign!!!  And let's face it.  This team as currently constructed is good+, but it ain't great yet, even if they win it this year.  We have quite a bit further to go.  There are flashes of brilliance but they are accompanied by flaming bags o' poo.  Ime's going to get better.  It looks like he doesn't have much more to improve from what I can see.  What he can work on in the summer is getting the players to buy in GAME TO GAME or GAME OVER GAME, because that's awful  right now.  There's something missing there.  And it probably starts at the top with JT.  He's rising, but he's still ridiculously, very annoyingly at the completely wrong times inconsistent.  Same to a lesser degree for JB.  And everyone else falls into (or out of) place below those two.  They are the floor generals with Marcus Smart.  MS has had to make some adjustments this year as well getting into his place.  That hasn't been smooth sailing either.

Anyway, I've got to put my shades on for this future!!

db

“Why the f**k are you there?… You wanna win right? Then f*****g do what I tell you, like that type of s**t”

Same thing I ask myself every morning.

db - thanks for the Jon Gruden reference.

Ime can win this title this year with his glower alone.

I seriously didn't know I referred to him. He make a shade comment before? I don't follow lacrosse.

db

When Jon Gruden was head coach of the Tampa bay Bucs he said about the team's future, "If it gets any brighter, I won't see a thing."

https://heavy.com/sports/boston-celtics/ime-udoka-game-3-nsfw-a-holes/



‘Will You Stop Playing Like A**holes?’: Celtics Weigh in on Ime Udoka’s Edge


By Steve Bulpett
Updated Jun 9, 2022 at 5:55pm



Getty
Ime Udoka, Celtics coach


The Celtics had built an 18-point lead in the first half of Game 3 if the NBA Finals, but, as is their wont, they were playing fast and loose with the ball and committing foolish turnovers. The Warriors were taking advantage, and Ime Udoka could see where that was going.


The coach has watched all season — even during the good times — when his club would turn away from the quick and simple passes and cuts that had staked it to success, suffering either a loss on the scoreboard or, if not that, a new gray hair or two on in his beard.


This time, Udoka did not immediately whip out the X and O method to problem solving. Some eight steps from Red Auerbach’s signature on the parquet floor (yeah, I paced it off this morning after practice), he asked his players a direct question:


“Will you guys stop playing like assholes?”


It still took a while for the Celtics to gather themselves and command the fourth quarter for a 116-100 victory and a 2-1 Finals lead, but Udoka had further established that he is willing to use whatever means necessary to guide his lads through the minefields — those created by both the opponent and his own players’ largely unforced errors.


‘Players Love It’


Sometimes a dope slap of sorts is needed — an incisive call to, hey, snap out of it. Such sideline stratagems are certainly not an Ime Udoka copyright, but his troops appreciate when he breaks it down like that.

“Players love it,” said Grant Williams, himself a not infrequent target of Udoka’s tough affection. “I feel like if you don’t love it, that’s one of the things that shows up. In college, they always say, if you can’t take the heat then transfer. And I feel like everyone on this team takes that heat and brings it.

“It’s like, ‘Make sure you’re locked in, because I’m going to be locked in. So if I’m more intense than you are, then that’s a problem.'”

Marcus Smart struggled to recall Udoka’s exact phrasing during the aforementioned timeout, “But he was probably talking about me. That’s what happens sometimes, and you’ve just got to be able to deal with it,” he said.

And, he added, that’s all good with his teammates, too.

“Definitely,” Smart said. “You want to know what you’re doing wrong so you can fix it. You can’t fix nothing if you don’t know what the problem is. So we definitely appreciate his honesty and his openness.”

As for that being a wake-up call at times, Smart said, “A lot of it is. You just have to keep going. We like that about Ime.”


Ime Udoka Gains Respect Among Celtics Faithful


Celtic followers seem to appreciate it, as well. A lot.

Having been told and confirmed Udoka’s huddle query by those let’s say “close to the situation” after the game, I tweeted the quote at 12:56 a.m. Fans responded quickly and, according to a quick scan of my notifications timeline, were doing so all through the night. There is still a steady stream as this story is being filed.


Steve Bulpett
@SteveBHoop
Ime Udoka may have saved the Celtics with a key question during a timeout after his team had committed some bad turnovers. According to a source, Udoka stepped into the huddle and said, "Will you guys stop playing like assholes?"

Aaaaaand we have our coaching moment of the year.
9:56 PM · Jun 8, 2022


Grown men were openly expressing their love and loyalty and demanding the Celtics make Udoka coach for life.

“My love for Ime grows every single day,” responded one man.

“I’d die for this man,” wrote another.

From numerous countries in several languages, the Ime affection flowed (“Te amo Udoka”, etc.).

Some wanted a re-vote for the Coach of the Year award. Others wanted the quote on a T-shirt. Still others simply laughed. Mostly it was just giddiness in the wake of a Celtic victory and all that, but there is maybe an ancillary benefit for the coach, as well — in addition to making his point with his players.

Udoka, who generally plays it pretty close to the vest publicly, most likely would rather his words not gotten beyond the huddle. But in a single line shared, it appears he became utterly relatable to basketball fans who spend games shouting at their televisions.

He is, at once, coach of a team leading The Finals and man of the people.


Bob
MY NOTE:  I wouldn't die for him, but I'm very glad he's in Boston.  I don't think Brad has swung and missed yet on a single hire and/or trade despite being a rookie himself.  Brad done good, real good, but that guy needs to get a life.  LOL.

A moment of reflection, if I may.  Just about all of us thought this year would be a mini-rebuild year because we had a rookie coach and a rookie GM.  We thought it might take a year, or two, for our two new brooms to sweep clean.  And look at us now.


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