PHOTO: Jeff Van Gundy is leading the race to land Rockets’ top job as head coach!
With the Rockets’ season all but over (they got blown out in Game 1 of their series against the Warriors and things aren’t getting much better for them going forward), they’re starting to turn their attention to filling their head coaching vacancy.
And they have a name in mind: Jeff Van Gundy, who’s currently scheduled to interview this week for the Timberwolves opening, along with Tom Thibodeau.
Jeff Van Gundy is at the top of the Houston
Rockets’ list of potential candidates along with Thibodeau, league sources
said. Jeff Van Gundy resigned as Rockets coach in 2007 after four seasons and
still lives in Houston.
The Rockets won’t begin a coaching search until the team’s postseason
ends. Houston is trailing Golden State 1-0 in their Western Conference
first-round series. Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t discuss jobs with teams who have a
coach in place, and J.B. Bickerstaff has been the Rockets’ interim coach since
the firing of Kevin McHale in November.
Given Van
Gundy’s Houston ties and familiarity with the organization, the fit makes a
good deal of sense. And since he still lives in Houston, it wouldn’t involve
moving his family, which has been one reason he’s been hesitant to get back
into coaching since leaving the Rockets.
Thibodeau
reportedly wants full personnel control, which isn’t going to happen in
Houston, since they’ve already announced they’re keeping GM Daryl Morey. Van
Gundy and Morey have familiarity with each other, which makes this a good fit
as the Rockets try to rebound from a disastrous season.
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