Jeff Van Gundy is set to interview to possibly become the next head coach of the Houston Rockets, The New York Times’ Marc Stein reported.
Clippers assistant coach Ty Lue interviewed for the position yesterday and is reportedly considered the favorite, while Rockets assistant coach John Lucas expected to interview after Van Gundy.
The Rockets faced another postseason disappointment, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games despite having two former MVPs on their roster. With coach Mike D’Antoni not returning to the team, Houston is reportedly considering a “culture reset” to make themselves a serious title contender for the 2021 season.
Van Gundy is familiar with Houston, as his last NBA head-coaching stint was for the Rockets for four seasons. While the veteran coach was able to get them to the playoffs three of those years, the Rockets never advanced past the first round during his tenure and he was fired after losing to the Utah Jazz in seven games in 2007.
Since then, Van Gundy has become a respected and beloved analyst but he has remained on hypothetical wish lists of teams looking for a new coach. So far, nobody has been able to get him to return to coaching, but perhaps getting another shot in Houston is what he’s been waiting for all along.
Along with Houston, Van Gundy has also been linked to the Clippers’ coaching job and was considered a leading candidate for the 76ers position before Doc Rivers became available and was quickly given the job in Philadelphia.
