With speculation brewing about Ime Udoka's job security, he still has one major advantage that could keep him safe for the foreseeable future. See why the Houston Rockets might be stuck with their head coach for the long-run.
The Houston Rockets are undeniably a very competitive team, winning 52 games in each of their last seasons. That being said, there’s still room for improvement. Some people even believe there’s room for change, especially if they don’t advance past the first round of the playoffs. It appears head coach, Ime Udoka, could be on the hot seat.
Ben Golliver of ESPN is one of the people who thinks just that, as seen here, citing the similarities between Udoka’s stay in Houston and Jamahl Mosley’s departure from the Orlando Magic. I must admit that it’s true they both “transformed a lottery team into a playoff team,” and share an inability to excel in the postseason. That's often the downfall of coaches, leading front offices to shake things up.
It’s impossible to ignore the similarities, with each team also being limited by their struggles from beyond the arc. Orlando attempted more threes than Houston, but had the fourth worst percentage in the league, per TeamRankings. They just brought in Sean Sweeney, who aims to help space the floor, so why couldn’t we see the same thing happen with Ime Udoka?
While the idea did run through my head back in May, as seen here on Roundtable, there still is one major difference between Ime Udoka and Jamahl Mosley. That, my friends, has to do with each of their contracts. More importantly the length of said contracts.
The Magic moved on from their coach one day after losing Game 7 in the first round this past postseason. He still had two years under contract, meaning he will still get paid until the end of the 2027-2028 season. Udoka got an extension last summer, which puts him under contract through the 2030-2031 season.
At 11 million dollars annually, Houston’s ownership would have to shell out four seasons' worth of pay if they fired their coach at the end of this season. That number is even higher if he were to be let go midseason. I don’t personally know any billionaires, but I can’t imagine any of them want to pay someone upwards of 50 million dollars to leave the organization.
Even if it would be the best basketball move, I struggle to see a world where Tilman Fertitta shells out that much money to fire a guy. It wouldn’t hurt the team from a financial standpoint, as front office salaries don’t count against the salary cap —— but it would hurt a billionaire’s bottom line. For better or worse, Ime Udoka’s job is likely safe for the time being.
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