HOUSTON -- Jeff Van Gundy has accepted an offer to become the Rockets' next coach, a Houston television station reported Monday. The Rockets would not confirm the report. "Right now, it's just a report," a team spokesman said Monday morning. NBA sources told KRIV that Van Gundy called the Rockets on Monday morning and said he will be their next coach pending successful contract negotiations, which are already under way. The Rockets are looking at a four- to five-year contract for Van Gundy, who spent two days in Houston last week, touring team facilities and the city. The deal to hire Van Gundy, the former New York Knicks coach, also will depend on whether the Rockets can agree to give the Knicks some form of compensation for hiring their former coach. Van Gundy is still under contract with New York through July 31. The former Knicks coach also had been considering the head coaching job of the Washington Wizards.
