ducks
05-19-2005, 10:21 AM
Van Gundy gets two-year extension
By JOEL ANDERSON, AP Sports Writer
May 18, 2005
HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy agreed Wednesday to a one-year contract extension with the Rockets through the 2007-08 season.
Van Gundy has two years remaining on his original four-year deal that he signed in June 2003 and paid him $18 million. Terms of the extension weren't immediately available.
``Once you get good people, you want to keep them,'' Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. ``He's one of the ones you want to keep. He got us back on the path we want to go.''
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Van Gundy has led the Rockets to two straight playoff appearances, turning around a franchise that had missed the postseason for four consecutive seasons.
He might have done his best coaching job last season, helping the Rockets recover from a 6-11 start en route to a 51-31 finish and the No. 5 seed in the West despite three midseason trades that dramatically changed the makeup of the team. The Rockets lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.
``We actually got better with each trade ... that was tremendous,'' Dawson said. ``Usually that's terrible for a team. It was just an outstanding coaching job by Jeff and his staff.''
Van Gundy, 43, came to Houston in 2003 after coaching the New York Knicks for seven years. He has a career record of 344-240, including nine straight winning seasons as an NBA head coach.
His two-year winning percentage of .585 -- 96-68 -- is the best in Rockets franchise history. And Van Gundy has been able to do that despite almost constant roster turnover -- only center Yao Ming and reserve forward Scott Padgett remain from his first season in Houston.
``When I arrived in Houston nearly two years ago the goal was to return this team back to championship form,'' Van Gundy said. ``While we're not there yet, I think we have made some significant progress over the course of the last two seasons and it's nice to know that our owner feels the same way.''
Earlier this month, the NBA fined Van Gundy $100,000 -- the largest assessed against a coach -- after he said that an official who was not working the playoffs told him that Yao was being targeted following complaints by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Mavericks.
Van Gundy later clarified his comments, saying when he referred to an NBA official, he was not talking about a game official and was intentionally vague when people inferred he meant a referee. The NBA said it was satisfied with Van Gundy's explanation and he would not be disciplined further.
By JOEL ANDERSON, AP Sports Writer
May 18, 2005
HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy agreed Wednesday to a one-year contract extension with the Rockets through the 2007-08 season.
Van Gundy has two years remaining on his original four-year deal that he signed in June 2003 and paid him $18 million. Terms of the extension weren't immediately available.
``Once you get good people, you want to keep them,'' Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. ``He's one of the ones you want to keep. He got us back on the path we want to go.''
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Van Gundy has led the Rockets to two straight playoff appearances, turning around a franchise that had missed the postseason for four consecutive seasons.
He might have done his best coaching job last season, helping the Rockets recover from a 6-11 start en route to a 51-31 finish and the No. 5 seed in the West despite three midseason trades that dramatically changed the makeup of the team. The Rockets lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.
``We actually got better with each trade ... that was tremendous,'' Dawson said. ``Usually that's terrible for a team. It was just an outstanding coaching job by Jeff and his staff.''
Van Gundy, 43, came to Houston in 2003 after coaching the New York Knicks for seven years. He has a career record of 344-240, including nine straight winning seasons as an NBA head coach.
His two-year winning percentage of .585 -- 96-68 -- is the best in Rockets franchise history. And Van Gundy has been able to do that despite almost constant roster turnover -- only center Yao Ming and reserve forward Scott Padgett remain from his first season in Houston.
``When I arrived in Houston nearly two years ago the goal was to return this team back to championship form,'' Van Gundy said. ``While we're not there yet, I think we have made some significant progress over the course of the last two seasons and it's nice to know that our owner feels the same way.''
Earlier this month, the NBA fined Van Gundy $100,000 -- the largest assessed against a coach -- after he said that an official who was not working the playoffs told him that Yao was being targeted following complaints by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Mavericks.
Van Gundy later clarified his comments, saying when he referred to an NBA official, he was not talking about a game official and was intentionally vague when people inferred he meant a referee. The NBA said it was satisfied with Van Gundy's explanation and he would not be disciplined further.