As reported by James Herbert of CBS Sports, Jeff Van Gundy has expressed interest in the head coaching job for the New Orleans Pelicans.
2007 was the last time Van Gundy coached, and since then his name has been linked to a few job openings before. The difference between those openings and the New Orleans one is that the other teams didn’t have a player like Anthony Davis. The potential to coach a 22-year-old player that is arguably one of the top players in the NBA today is definitely something that could bring a guy back to coaching.
Van Gundy joins Alvin Gentry and Tom Thibodeau as candidates for the job, via Marc Stein of ESPN:
Jeff Van Gundy has emerged as a candidate for the New Orleans Pelicans’ head-coaching position, according to league sources. Sources told ESPN.com this week that the ESPN analyst has expressed interest in the opening and is under consideration for the job, which opened when the Pelicans dismissed Monty Williams earlier this month.
Van Gundy joins Golden State associate head coach Alvin Gentry and Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau as confirmed candidates for the position, according to NBA coaching sources.
The New York Knicks and Houston Rockets were the teams that Van Gundy coached from 1995 to 2007, and during that time he compiled a 430-318 record. His teams were normally near the bottom half of the league in terms of pace, but that might have to change with the way the NBA is headed today. The younger players and better athletes today have been part of the reason why all of the teams are pushing the pace of the game to faster and faster. Van Gundy always had some good insight on broadcasts, so hopefully he can bring that to the court if he lands the job.
