Woj: Mazzulla likely to remain Boston coach past this year; Celtics will grant Udoka permission to coach elsewhere

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to surmise that if the Boston Celtics have a successful season, that head coach Joe Mazzulla would likely stick around past this one season. I mean the Celtics may end up shedding the "interim" tag off Mazzulla's title during this season if things continue to go as well as they have through training camp, preseason, and the season's first two games.

Nothing is guaranteed in sports, so on the other hand if the Celtics crash and burn and return to the inconsistent version of play they exhibited in the 2019/20 season and the first half of last season, then that "likely" could turn quickly into an "unlikely."

The bigger news from Woj is that despite the rumor that the Celtics suspended Ime Udoka versus firing him to prevent him from coaching the Nets this season (Stephen A. Smith was peddling this rumor this week), Boston reportedly won't stand in Udoka's way if he has another opportunity.

If Udoka was hired by another team, the guess is the Celtics would be able to recoup a decent amount of the money he is owed on his long term deal. It still remains a mystery whether Udoka is being paid or not this season on suspension.

What should be rather crystal clear by now is that it is highly unlikely that Udoka will ever return to the Celtics bench. I could have told you that the day the one year suspension was announced, but everything since has even further strengthened that opinion.