The New York Knicks could face competition if they want to hire former coach Jeff Van Gundy to replace Mike Miller.
New York Knicks players and coaches from the nineties have been making the news recently. As conversation about Patrick Ewing’s postseason legacy keeps fans occupied, former coaches are drawing interest from NBA teams. The latest: Jeff Van Gundy is reportedly a candidate for the Houston Rockets head coaching position as a replacement to Mike D’Antoni (another familiar name).
Van Gundy has been listed as a potential candidate for the Knicks. His former assistant, Tom Thibodeau, is also under consideration, and a possible leading candidate for the New York job. Thibs has also been linked to Houston.
Sam Amick of The Athletic described Van Gundy as a strong possibility for Houston on a recent podcast appearance.
"“Jeff Van Gundy’s name is the one that I have heard consistently as a very possible replacement for Mike,” Amick said on the Brodie and The Beard podcast released on Tuesday. “It’s interesting to see Thibs’s name in there now because you’ve got a guy who was Jeff’s top assistant when Jeff was the Rockets’ coach.”"
The former Knick coach hasn’t been on an NBA bench since he was fired by the Rockets in 2007. While he led the team to two 50-win seasons, he failed to get past the first round of the playoffs. He was fired with one-year left on his contract, albeit, a non-guaranteed season, and after Van Gundy paused in expressing a desire to return, the Rockets decided to move on. Or, at least that was how the Rockets spun it, something that frustrated Van Gundy at the time.
Amick explained in the podcast that owner Leslie Alexander played a large role in Van Gundy’s dismissal, so perhaps there is an opening for JVG to return to Houston, now that the team is under new ownership. There aren’t any reported issues between general manager Daryl Morey and his former coach.
Besides commentating NBA games for ESPN/ABC, Van Gundy has kept his coaching mind sharp on the international stage, leading the USA men’s basketball team in the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup tournament and 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.