Jeff Van Gundy Will Be Next Coach Of New York Knicks
Jeff Van Gundy will be the next coach of the New York Knicks, it appears.
Van Gundy, 57, previously coached the team from 1995 to 2001.
Over the course of those six years he only missed the postseason once.
In 1998-1999, the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Is he the right man for the job? It depends on who you ask.
Last week James Dolan fired David Fizdale after less than two years with the organization.
While Fizdale was an objectively bad head coach, the move was still met with tons of criticism.
It was less about the Knicks firing a bad coach, and more about them being so dysfunctional for the last decade and a half.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, New York has put together a short list of coaches who could be in-season replacements.
At the top of that list? Van Gundy.
Shortly after the Fizdale news broke, Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News penned a column advocating for Van Gundy.
“But the city knows Van Gundy,” he wrote.
“He was the last coach Knicks coach to hear his name chanted at the Garden in a good way. Everybody saw the job he did after Dave Checketts decided to fire Don Nelson.
“Knicks fans know that Van Gundy’s team might have been on its way to a championship in 1997 until Charlie Ward and P.J Brown got into a fight at the end of Game 5 in Miami.”
Will Van Gundy ultimately get the nod? It is hard to say. But the likelihood of it happening today is far greater than it was one week ago.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
