Despite contact between the Knicks and Jeff Van Gundy‘s representatives, the franchise hasn’t shown any real interest in bringing back its former head coach, reports Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
According to Begley, Van Gundy would be open to discussing the Knicks’ head coaching vacancy if the team expresses interest in him as a candidate. However, league sources indicate to Begley that any conversations between the Knicks and Van Gundy’s reps didn’t result in the club expressing that interest or looking to line up an interview.
Van Gundy, who is currently employed as an NBA analyst for ESPN and ABC, coached the Knicks for several years in the late-1990s and early-2000s, leading the team to a 248-172 record (.590) over five full seasons and two more partial seasons. The club went 37-32 in the postseason during that stretch, reaching the NBA Finals in 1999.
While Van Gundy doesn’t appear to be at or near the top of the Knicks’ wish list, the team is considering another one of its former head coaches, having reportedly set up a meeting with Mike Woodson. However, Begley suggests that Woodson isn’t considered to be in the “top tier” of Knicks candidates — for now, that top tier includes David Fizdale, Mark Jackson, Jerry Stackhouse, and David Blatt, per ESPN.
Didn’t Van Gundy say a day or two ago that he probably wasn’t interested first? Oh so now the Knicks aren’t interested in Van Gundy. Okay.
Why would Van Gundy want to inherit a team like this that needs to be built? The dude has been in NBA Finals, the Knicks are not near that. The Knicks need to find the best coach for Frank and KP simple, those are your cornerstones and the players you are building around. I don’t know why they don’t give McHale a shot, he seemed to do a good job with Dwight who does not have the arsenal of a Porzingis. McHale can help mold Kristaps’s post moves and make him more dominant in the post.
The guy left 15 years ago because he didn’t want to be part of a rebuilding program. Now, in a rebuilding program, they would hire him? Please. Hopefully, Woodson is just being done a favor so it looks like he’s still head coaching material (who would want him to finish what he started?).
Patience is great, but you still need front office acumen. Mills is a marketing guy (who demonstrated as much with his 1st day of FA deal with Baker, and then paying THJ like he was his Dad). Perry, we’ll see, but the two most recent clubs on this resume are Orlando and Sacramento. The duo has their first draft coming up. We’ll see.
Sentimentally, I want JVG. Logically, go get Stackhouse. He is the only coach on the Knicks list of candidates who has recently worked with “rebuilding” players in the G League. The success he’s had in the G could bode well for how he works with Frank, KP and this year’s pick.
You don’t want to throw a young first-time coach into this mess. Stackhouse needs to grind his teeth in Orlando or Atlanta or something like that.
Bring the guy who’s proven he can rebuild a team – Mark Jackson. He gets you to respectability in 2-4 years and then you reassess from there.
Mark Jackson or bust. Hand down, man down.
No. Ewing instead.