Van Gundy: denies deal is done with Cavaliers on TNT

[Rockets-R-Us]

JVG just said "Contrary to some reports, honestly, I spoke with the Cavs about 9 days ago, and for just a few minutes today for the first time since then, and THERE IS NO AGREEMENT between me and the Cavs"

Just thought I would be first to get it on the Board!!

[jli]

Yes !

[barbourdg]

They just asked him about the cavaliers, and he denies that any deal is done. He stated that he spoke to them briefly today, and that was the first time since he interviewed 9 days ago.

Does this mean Les will get his guy?

[Texas Stoke]

yeah I was walking in the room and heard him say something like that. He said all the reports were false. And the Cavs are still in the process of searching for a head coach.

hellfreakingyeah!!!

[Texas Stoke]

Heard the same thing. I really hope so. Im really pulling for Van Gundy to come to Houston. On the pregame show, Chad Ford did say he thought the Houston opening would be more enticing for VanGundy...

[Jeff]

merged threads...

[Jeff]

If this turns out to be true, how wierd would it be if there was a bidding war over Jeff Van Gundy??? I mean, no offense to VG, but it is obviously a sellers market for coaches.

[SLA]

Originally posted by Jeff If this turns out to be true, how wierd would it be if there was a bidding war over Jeff Van Gundy??? I mean, no offense to VG, but it is obviously a sellers market for coaches.

What would STINK would be if Jeff Van Gundy.....like the last day before training camp starts....or whatever....says that he will not be coaching...after all this bidding occurs. Then they will all be going after Paul Silas.

[BubbaMac]

Originally posted by Jeff If this turns out to be true, how wierd would it be if there was a bidding war over Jeff Van Gundy??? I mean, no offense to VG, but it is obviously a sellers market for coaches.

Well said, a bidding war for JVG. Hell has just frozen over.

[D-Up]

I say go after Donnie Nelson and surround him w/D minded assistants.

Maybe even bring in a "proven" assistant, an ex-HC.

[The Real Shady]

Van Gundy's reaction that a bidding war has begun for his services.



Seriously though, Van Gundy is a hell of a coach. The record speaks for itself.

***** W - L
95-96 13-10
96-97 57-25
97-98 43-39
98-99 27-23
99-00 50-32
00-01 48-34
01-02 10-9

Without Van Gundy:
***** W - L
01-02 20-53
02-03 37-45

See a pattern.

A good article on Van Gundy and his stint with the Knicks.

Coach Can't Fix Sick Knicks
Jeff Van Gundy had a talent for coaching. He just didn't have any talent.
By Hugo Lindgren
Posted Monday, December 10, 2001, at 12:49 PM PT


Watching Jeff Van Gundy coach the Knicks over the last six years was like watching a defenseless boxer get pummeled in the late rounds. Every errant pass was another keen one in the gut, every missed defensive assignment a brain-throttling blow. You wished a ref would step in and halt the carnage. The victories, when they came, seemed to offer no salve, no relief.


So thank God Van Gundy threw in the towel last Friday and resigned. Van Gundy has been an excellent coach, as savvy and effective as any in the league. He was the NBA's last true believer in coaching, in the idea that preparation and practice could compensate for inferior talent. And over the years, it was this faith that wore him down, that gave him the droopy face and the sunken eyes.

Never once in the Van Gundy era did the Knicks have the talent to match up with the elite teams in the league. When Patrick Ewing was playing for them, there was that little Michael Jordan roadblock. When Jordan was on the way out, management made a critical bet. They signed Allan Houston and designated him as their post-Ewing savior, their Jordan. Houston has struggled to pay back their confidence ever since. Latrell Sprewell, brought in for reinforcement, added some pep. But neither he nor Houston has the skills to carry the Knicks.

So it was left to Van Gundy to carry the Knicks, and he actually thought he could do it. This is why he suffered. Wins, in his view, were bought with hard work. If a string of 15-hour days culminated in an overtime loss to Sacramento, he'd go to 16-hour days to prepare for lowly Golden State. It made no difference who the opponent was or what point in the season it was—a team with insufficient talent could never afford to let up. Every practice was critical, every game do-or-die.

Van Gundy's obsessive approach paid off in lots of ways, particularly in the postseason, as the Knicks routinely went deeper into the playoffs than they should have (last year's loss to Toronto being a notable exception). Their run to the finals three years ago, as the eighth seed in the East, was one of the most extraordinary underdog performances in NBA history. And with certain players, like Kurt Thomas, Van Gundy's relentless style clearly paid dividends. Before coming to the Knicks, Thomas was a wayward, injury-prone underachiever. Over the last three seasons, he became a reliable inside force and the Knicks' most consistent player. He faithfully supplies the dozen points and 10 boards a night they need from him.

The problem is that a team full of Kurt Thomases, which is what the post-Ewing Knicks have morphed into, will never win a championship. The Knicks lack two essential skills—power in the middle and quickness in the backcourt. Their main assets are Houston and Sprewell, Thomas, and, from time to time, Marcus Camby. The rest of the squad could have been plucked from the waiver wire. Is it any wonder Van Gundy opted out of putting this team on the floor 60 more times?

In fact, in the short run, the Knicks will probably play better without him. At the start of this season, Van Gundy's relentless pressure, applied day in and day out for six years, simply wore down this group; they could no longer overachieve. Perhaps they'll fare better with the milder Don Chaney at the helm. Van Gundy, meanwhile, will follow the path of his arch-nemesis Phil Jackson—an extended mellow-out period, possibly conducted in Montana, followed by a new job with a team that has the goods in place to win it all. When Jackson was plotting his comeback, he could have had any job in the league, including Van Gundy's. But he brushed them all off until the Lakers called, with Shaq and Kobe. That's the kind of situation—i.e., superstars already in place—that Van Gundy should look for. Go some place where you'll be able to win right away—and look back and laugh about how you once believed in the perfectibility of Allan Houston.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2059596/

[The Real Shady]

.

[Drewdog]

Does anyone give a rats ass that he QUIT on his team?!?!?!



That says alot about the dudes character.

I dont know why everyone is giving Van Gumby all the red carpet. There are better options.

[seclusion]

uh, it's called "disappointment" the guy busted his ass night in, night out. I don't blame him.

[Drewdog]

Originally posted by seclusion uh, it's called "disappointment" the guy busted his ass night in, night out. I don't blame him.

So..... he was disapointed and decided to up quit on his team?!?!?

Bullsh!t.

I dont want someone like that trying to set an example and attempt to lead the Rockets.

[DonnyMost]

In all fairness, that was a no-where job.

He obviously had player and management issues as well.

I think Houston would be a good place for Jeff to make his legend.

[seclusion]

tell me drew, what do you do for a living...and do you work anymore than 8 hours a day? somehow I doubt it.

[Drewdog]

Originally posted by seclusion tell me drew, what do you do for a living...and do you work anymore than 8 hours a day? somehow I doubt it.

Im an astronaut and I make more money than you.

What are you Van Gumby's mistress?

Make like your name and go back there.

[DonnyMost]

Originally posted by Drewdog Im an astronaut and I make more money than you. What are you Van Gumby's mistress?

Classy..

You seem to be the only one leading the anti-JVG charge.. so what does that make you? Larry Brown's lapdog?

[The Real Shady]

While Van Gundy probably should have stuck it out for the remander of the 01-02 season the fact is he was burnt out. It happens when people overextend themselves. Hopefully he learned a leason and won't push himself too far this time.

Van Gundy is exactly the kind of coach the Rockets need.