Six months after Stan Van Gundy was let go by the Magic at the end of an extremely acrimonious process, which he pinned primarily on his star C Dwight Howard, the former coach professed no hard feelings in an interview with SI.com's Richard Deitsch:
Stan Van Gundy says he has a good relationship with Dwight Howard
The former Magic coach professes no hard feelings about a bitter end to his time in Orlando.
Kevin C. Cox
SI.com: You've said your relationship with Dwight Howard is good these days, correct?
Van Gundy: Yeah, it is. We've been in touch throughout the offseason and throughout his rehab. I've kept tabs on what has been going on with him. I've said from my standpoint that my thoughts of him are all good. I don't know how many games we won here in five years, but it was a lot, and he was a huge factor in that thing. He did a lot for me and he was an easy guy to coach, one of the smartest players I have ever coached. He was coachable and practiced every single day. We had our differences and they became public. Had we been left to handle them on our own, I think things would have been a lot of different.
It’s hard to know how much truth is in that statement, as Van Gundy has every incentive to be the bigger man and not openly carry a grudge as he begins a new career in broadcasting.
Nevertheless, Van Gundy and Howard did team up for an unlikely run to the NBA Finals in 2009 and the two have spent a lot of time in very close quarters over the years.
Maybe time really does heal all wounds.
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