Why Jeff Van Gundy Would Be an Interesting Fit in Sacramento

Coaching in the NBA is one of the most stressful jobs, as there always seems to be something waiting to go wrong. Whenever a coaching vacancy is announced, finding the “right” candidate is an intimate process that requires a lot of talking and thinking before a hire is made official. Sometimes, depending on the opening, the list of interested candidates varies.

One former NBA coach that is currently working as a television analyst for ESPN is former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy. Van Gundy last coached the Houston Rockets for four years (was fired in 2007) before moving into the broadcasting booth.

A coach that spent seven seasons with the New York Knicks and had a lot of success at that time, Van Gundy has been consistently approached to continue coaching in other destinations (Golden State), but he has said he is not looking to pursue anything at this particular time.

During his coaching days, Van Gundy was known for his defense-first approach and led the Knicks to a 248-172 record in seven NBA seasons. Van Gundy is also known for holding opposing teams in terms of field-goal percentage and scoring defense.

While with the Rockets, Van Gundy turned the team into a defense-first team although injuries plagued both offensive weapons Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming during multiple seasons.

One potentially interesting fit would be with the Sacramento Kings, where trouble has been brewing between head coach Paul Westphal and center DeMarcus Cousins and may only grow as the season progresses. The Kings were one of the worst teams in the league in most defensive categories, while they were in the top 15 in scoring last season.

The Kings are a young team still looking to find themselves in terms of where they stand in the league. Bringing in an experienced head coach with a defensive focus like Van Gundy under General Manager Geoff Petrie would be interesting to see what would happen.

Given that Cousins can be a headache at times, having specifically designed plays in the offense may allow him to straighten out knowing that he is never going to be out of the picture. Additionally, having a defensive role will help him work on that phase of his game.

At the end of the day, it will be interesting to see if Van Gundy is truly interested in returning to coaching in the NBA or if he decides to continue in the broadcasting booth.