Jeff Van Gundy Reportedly the Nets’ Top Choice as Coach This Summer

[duncan228]

Jeff Van Gundy Reportedly the Nets’ Top Choice as Coach This Summer
SportingNews

Jeff Van Gundy is a beloved broadcaster for his humor, knowledge of the game, and existence as someone other than Mark Jackson. If you remember way back to 2007, though, he’s also a pretty good coach with a reputation for building strong defensive teams.

The Nets may have won their 10th game of the season last night to avoid becoming the worst team in league history, but even milestones like that one can’t obscure the fact that they need a lot of help. Accordingly, they’ve targeted Van Gundy as their top choice for the coaching job this summer, according to Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski:

Sources say the chances of landing top choice, Jeff Van Gundy, are improved with [Rod] Thorn staying on the job. Van Gundy hadn’t planned to return to coaching next season, but the Nets believe he’ll be willing to listen to a pitch. They want to talk to Villanova’s Jay Wright, too, but he’s turned down big offers from the 76ers and Kentucky in the past two years, and a close friend of his on Monday said, “It would surprise me if he talks [seriously] to them, unless maybe he needs the leverage at Villanova.”

One sleeper for the Nets job: Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. While Izzo probably can’t be lured with the collegiate money grab at Oregon, the NBA has never stopped intriguing him.

Oh yeah, there are also those college names. Wright and Izzo are listed in so many of these coach-search articles that I’d prefer not to discuss them until things get serious. Let’s not blow it out of proportion quite yet.

If Van Gundy wants to get back into coaching, he could certainly do worse than the Nets. Despite their record, they have a nice foundation with budding star Brook Lopez in the middle, Devin Harris at the point (for now, at least), and a high-lottery pick on its way in June. Plus there’s the matter of their new owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who will join Portland’s Paul Allen as one of the two richest owners in the league when he takes over this summer.

It’ll take some time to repair the damage in New Jersey, but the raw material is there.

[Muser]

[baseline bum]

. Why can't someone hire Doug Collins back? And someone needs to give Reggie Miller a chance too.

[BRHornet45]

sons this is who I want as our coach next season. our team needs to be yelled at ...




I can see him scolding David West now ... "boy you ain't got enough sense to poke piss out of a boot and you're talking about once being an all star!!!????? my God!!!!! now get you're lazy, spoiled ass back out there and play on BOTH sides of the court! God knows you haven't played defense since 2008!!!!! boy do you think just because you have a president that is allegedly black that now you don't have to play defense!??? I've been saying it allllll alllllongggggg!!!!"

[Ghazi]

Beaubois > MT5

CROFL 121-63

[scottspurs]

Tom Izzo is a great coach, but I think he is better suited for college. My dream would be Rick Barnes getting fired at Texas and Izzo taking the job. Van Gundy is probably one of the better options for the Nets.

[lefty]

. Why can't someone hire Doug Collins back? And someone needs to give Reggie Miller a chance too.

If Reggie becomes their coach, you know the Nets are gonna own the Knicks for another 5 years.

But back to JVG; this is great news; not only we won't have to listen to him on ABCESPN, but his ass iss gonna get owned several times by SVG
(Nets-Magic; guess who wins?)

[mogrovejo]

The Nets should hire Paul Silas.

. Why can't someone hire Doug Collins back? And someone needs to give Reggie Miller a chance too.

Agreed. That's my priority. If he doesn't want to coach, give him a GM job.

[Trainwreck2100]

i wonder if he says no will the owner kill his family?

[Indazone]

oh lawd..Van Gundy back in basketball coaching? 48 more minutes of please pull my eyes out basketball. ughh. Well good luck to the Nets if they get him.

[duhoh]

i'd think it'd be hilarious to see avery johnson in new jersey to torment devin harris some more

[Indazone]

Van Gundy would bench every Euro player and then he'd automatically go out and get ex Knicks players out of retirement. Oakley would right back in the mix. Then he'd tell people to stay in their zones on the floor and run up and down as a defensive/offensive unit. Is it any wonder NBA players score less on JVG teams?

[wireonfire]

Van Gundy would bench every Euro player and then he'd automatically go out and get ex Knicks players out of retirement. Oakley would right back in the mix. Then he'd tell people to stay in their zones on the floor and run up and down as a defensive/offensive unit. Is it any wonder NBA players score less on JVG teams?

I think he'd love players like Scola.

[Basketballgirl25]

i'd think it'd be hilarious to see avery johnson in new jersey to torment devin harris some more

yeah it would be funny, and it would also be funny if Nets then won the finals

[noob cake]

Sons Brook Lopez better be prepared to learn how to play proper defense