What about Jeff Van Gundy?
His is a name no one has really mentioned in the immediate aftermath of the New York Knicks’ surprising dismissal of head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday.
But really, Van Gundy has as much immediate relevance to the opening as anyone out there.
The 63-year old was the head coach of the Knicks from 1996-2001, after seven seasons as an assistant with New York, too.
He took over at the end of the 1995-96 season, and the Knicks went to the playoffs in all but Van Gundy’s last season in charge (when he resigned after 19 games).
Van Gundy was then the head coach of the Rockets before stepping away to become ESPN’s top NBA color commentator.
He was back on the sideline this season, though, as an assistant coach for the Clippers. He was responsible for the coaching aspects of L.A.’s dominant defense.
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Van Gundy’s return to the sideline is an indication that he hopes to dive back into the coaching profession as a whole, and a head coaching position would be the logical next step.
The Knicks may not want another wily veteran coach after getting rid of Thibodeau, but Thibs and Van Gundy aren’t created equal just because they’re in the same age bracket.
Van Gundy has plenty of modern thoughts about the game. Maybe most importantly, though, he’d already know the pressure of being in New York rather than having to learn it for the first time.
The Knicks probably have a flashier hire in mind, but don’t sleep on Van Gundy. If they wanted to give him a shot, he’d probably work out just fine.
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