Is it bad for the Rockets to send Ime Udoka to represent them at the draft lottery?

The highly anticipated 2023 NBA Draft lottery is right around the corner and shapes up to be one of the biggest moments for the Houston Rockets since the James Harden trade. Will the Rockets land the top pick and select Victor Wembanyama?

Will they land the second pick and land Scoot Henderson, killing a James Harden pursuit? Will their pick fall to fourth overall and prompt the franchise to trade the pick for a star? 

The storylines are magnified. The ramifications are steep.

Is it bad for the Rockets to send Ime Udoka to represent them at the draft lottery?

So much so that the franchise has opted to send newly-hired coach Ime Udoka to represent the franchise at the lottery in Chicago on the 16th. Last year the Rockets sent GM Rafael Stone to the event in Chicago and sent franchise icon Hakeem Olajuwon to the lottery in 2021.

Many aren't enthused at the decision to send Udoka to represent the team, with fear of Udoka's past horrors coming back to haunt the franchise. This doesn't seem like something that would factor into the Rockets' chances of landing the top pick in a randomized lottery in which they have a 14 percent chance of getting the top pick, from a mathematical standpoint.

This stems from the belief that the NBA might not be happy with Udoka, and could punish the Rockets in the lottery, which doesn't seem possible for a lottery that's randomized. But conspiracy theorists will always have their conspiracy theories.

Granted, the league surely didn't like what transpired during Udoka's time in Boston, an improper workplace relationship, which is why they signed off on a one year suspension. 

In other words, why would they still have animosity toward the franchise or Udoka? Keep in mind what league commissioner Adam Silver said about the situation just recently, stating that the case didn't involve criminal or civil charges being levied against Udoka and that the league believed he had served his punishment for the alleged acts.

With that being said, there's nothing wrong with the Rockets sending Udoka to represent them. The outcome will obviously be the same, regardless of who was representing the franchise.