Could we be seeing Jeff Van Gundy back as a head coach?
That could all depend if the New Orleans Pelicans run out of options.
The younger brother of Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy has expressed interest in the coaching vacancy, a position that was recently left by Monty Williams who was fired.
Williams got the boot despite helping the Pelicans make it to the playoffs this season and there is no official word on who New Orleans have in mind. Tom Thibodeau has been mentioned as a possible candidate but all that could depend on what eventually happens to Thibodeau over in Chicago.
It is widely believed that Thibodeau would be fired and a lot of teams have expressed interest in hiring the current Chicago Bulls head coach.
The stakes seem to have put up a notch with the headway the Pelicans were able to accomplish this season. And apparently team management didn't give Williams another chance and are looking at other head coaches who could better. Van Gundy could be that person.
Jeff Van Gundy current serves as an ESPN broadcaster but it shouldn't be surprising to see his desire to coach once again.
To his credit, Jeff Van Gundy coached for 11 seasons and racked up 430 victories and made it to the NBA finals once. He missed just one postseason which all but makes him a suitable candidate if the Pelicans are looking for more playoff appearances and improve on what they had accomplished this year.
Many believe that if the Pelicans want an encore and see how far they can get in the NBA playoffs, a proven head coach in Van Gundy is the way to go.
There are of course other active head coaches in the market today (think Scott Skiles, Brian Shaw and Scott Brooks) but it could all depend on which of them can do best with Anthony Davis and the rest of the rising young stars the team currently has.
