Tag: jeff van gundy

Rockets will reportedly interview Jeff Van Gundy for head coaching job

Young NBA fans these days know Jeff Van Gundy as an NBA broadcaster, but anyone who has been around for a while also remembers him as a head coach. He knows the job. Here’s the New York Post on a development:

Jeff Van Gundy hasn’t coached in the NBA since he was fired by the Houston Rockets in 2007, but he is on his former team’s list as a potential candidate to replace Mike D’Antoni.

Van Gundy, who has worked as a game analyst for ESPN since his last coaching gig, will interview with the Rockets on Wednesday, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported on Twitter.

The Rockets already interviewed Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Tyronn Lue on Monday, and Houston assistant John Lucas is expected to be brought in next to discuss the opening after Van Gundy meets with GM Daryl Morey. Lue reportedly also remains a candidate for vacancies with the Los Angeles Clippers and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Van Gundy doing the interview means he’s obviously interested in the position. He has one of the best jobs in NBA broadcasting these days — a spot most people in basketball would not want to give up. Perhaps he truly does miss coaching.

The Rockets are also a fairly unique team, in that they are unbelievably guard-heavy, and have a roster that is currently built to play as they currently play: giving James Harden and sometimes Russell Westbrook the ball and creating three-point opportunities for the entire team. If the roster remains largely the same, what would Van Gundy do differently than former Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni? Perhaps we’ll find out.

Pelicans may want Jeff Van Gundy as head coach

Will Jeff Van Gundy return to coaching?

For now, there’s no reason to actually expect a Jeff Van Gundy NBA coaching return. But it seems like a possibility. Here’s the New Orleans Times-Picayune reporting:

Will Jeff Van Gundy return to coaching?

Jeff Van Gundy declined to acknowledge on the “Dan Patrick Show” on Wednesday if he has been contacted by the New Orleans Pelicans for their vacant head-coaching job.

But Van Gundy didn’t make a point to publicly deny his interest in replacing Monty Williams and coaching superstar forward Anthony Davis.

When asked on the show if he would like to coach Davis, Van Gundy said: ”There is no one who ever coached that wouldn’t want to coach a great player with great character. And so I’ve been able to do that in my life. I’ve already coached a player with a great character and you know how important that is if you want to win big in a situation. I had Patrick Ewing, Yao Ming and (Tracy) McGrady in Houston, (Charles) Oakley and all these guys.

”Anybody who that says, nah … I wouldn’t want to coach (Davis) who is a top-five player and a great person, I wouldn’t believe that if someone said that.”