Jeff Van Gundy back on the sidelines? There's a possibility that he could be the new head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
Would the Pelicans really hire Jeff Van Gundy as head coach?
Van Gundy hasn’t coached an NBA team since he was fired from the Rockets in 2007 but could be looking to get back into the game.
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Van Gundy has reportedly expressed interest in the job and is being considered, along with other confirmed candidates such as Golden State Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry and Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. The position opened when New Orleans fired five-year coach Monty Williams on May 12 despite the Pelicans making the playoffs for the first time in four years.
While Van Gundy hasn't coached since he was fired from the Houston Rockets in 2007, he has said before that he has interest in returning.
Why this makes sense
Every team except the San Antonio Spurs have made a coaching change since Van Gundy was fired in Houston in 2007. What makes this job different?
It's simple: Anthony Davis, who was an All-NBA first team selection this year and looks poised to become the NBA's best player for the next decade. Between him and several other solid players around him, whoever takes over the Pelicans job will have high expectations but the tools to go out and be successful.
Van Gundy is known for his versatile defensive schemes and New Orleans has to improve on that end, after finishing No. 22 in the NBA last season.
Why it doesn’t make sense
Van Gundy is generally viewed well as a coach, but the fact remains that it has been nearly a decade since he coached a team. If he wants to coach in the NBA now, that’s fine, but New Orleans has one of the most sought after openings in the league and several other quality candidates. Gentry is an assistant coach on a team two wins away from the Finals and is considered to be a big reason for the Warriors’ success, while Thibodeau won 65 percent of his games in Chicago.
Thanks to his ESPN job and outspokenness, Van Gundy has a high profile and could command more money than New Orleans is willing to give him. Pelicans general manager Dell Demps is reportedly hesitant to hire Thibodeau because he’d preferred someone who is not “strong willed,” according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. If that’s the case, Van Gundy is hardly any better.
Lastly, there's the growing trend of head coaches pushing for front office control as well. Stan Van Gundy, Jeff's brother, just received that in Detroit. If the free agent Van Gundy pushes for that in his campaign for the Pelicans' job, New Orleans may consider him not worth the trouble and move onto other candidates.
Likelihood
4/10. We’d love to see Van Gundy back coaching an NBA team, but the Pelicans’ job is too hotly contested for a guy who has been out of the league for eight years.
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