NBA Media Day: 5 uncomfortable storylines to keep an eye out for

NBA Media Day: Expect every Boston Celtics player to be asked about Ime Udoka.

Part of me wonders if the Boston Celtics intentionally waited until now to finalize the season-long suspension of head coach Ime Udoka. This way, they can clear the air during NBA Media Day and shift their focus back on what’s really important: getting back to the NBA Finals. Nonetheless, players are sure to be asked about the coach’s absence and it’s certainly going to get stuffy in that room when most guys, presumably, struggle to respond.

And what are they supposed to say? There is no right answer — specifically when the intimate details of the situation are being kept behind closed doors. As it relates to his head coach’s debauchery, star forward Jayson Tatum has bigger fish to fry. Coming off tough Finals loss to the Bay Area’s dynasty, Tatum is almost guaranteed to be focused on earning his first ring and MVP trophy.

In fact, it won’t be surprising to see some players resort to the ‘Next Question’ tactic or a ‘That’s none of my business’ type of response.

But it’d also be bad journalism not to ask the team that just won the Eastern Conference about losing the head coach who helped them get there. So on all parts, it’s an awkward position. The journalists won’t want to ask about it and Celtics players won’t want to talk about it, but they have to face the situation head-on if they want any chance of moving past it.