If there was one open coaching position in the NBA that would make a number of people come out of the woodworks, it would be the New Orleans Pelicans job. They have quite possibly the biggest future star in the league with Anthony Davis and the coach needed to direct his future has to be big. After firing Monty Williams, the name would have to be a big one.
Why not go big for your new head coach and go after a guy who’s been taking a seat on the sidelines watching the league for years but not coaching. Why not Jeff Van Gundy?
Following from Yahoo! Sports Adiran Wojnarowski.
The New Orleans Pelicans’ coaching search is gathering momentum, a process that included a formal interview Tuesday with Jeff Van Gundy, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Van Gundy, one of the NBA’s top available coaches, and New Orleans officials met in the Bay Area to discuss the opening. The sides had spoken over the phone, but this was the first face-to-face meeting, league sources said.
For now, New Orleans officials and Van Gundy are beginning the process of getting to know each other. Van Gundy had traveled to the Bay Area for his role as a television analyst for the Western Conference finals.
Van Gundy has been long regarded for his defensive coaching prowess but he has been out of the NBA as a coach for a few years. In 2007 he was relieved of his duty as the head coach of the Houston Rockets but in that time he’s been an analyst for ESPN’s NBA coverage. He knows the players and especially this season with ESPN covering the Western Conference Finals in its entirety. Van Gundy has been known recently for his outspoken nature but putting him on the sidelines to coach one of the best coaches of the past 20 years, why not Van Gundy?
Van Gundy would be a coach to bring in for right now and not for a future rebuild. At 53, Van Gundy will not be a guy to bring in to break down this team and restart but instead he’ll possibly be the key behind Anthony Davis taking the next step.
