Jeff Van Gundy will be part of the Los Angeles Clippers’ teaching workers as Ty Lue’s new high assistant, the staff introduced Tuesday. Van Gundy spent final season working for the Boston Celtics in a front-office function as they claimed the 18th championship in staff historical past.
Van Gundy is a really completed NBA head coach. He led each the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets over the course of greater than a decade on the helm, most notably reaching the NBA Finals in 1999 with the Knicks. When he was fired by the Rockets in 2007, he joined ESPN as a broadcaster. He would stay there for 16 years earlier than returning to the staff facet final offseason with the Celtics.
Although Van Gundy was not teaching within the NBA, he did coach Staff USA throughout a number of qualifying tournaments. Although he didn’t work straight with the celebs USA Basketball sends to the Olympics and different main tournaments, he did assist them qualify for these occasions. Beneath Van Gundy, Staff USA received gold on the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup and in addition certified for the 2019 World Cup. It was with Staff USA that Van Gundy, based on Wojnarowski, acquired near Lue, who’s an assistant underneath Steve Kerr on the nationwide staff’s workers.
Lue not too long ago signed a five-year, $70 million contract to stay with the Clippers for the lengthy haul. Nonetheless, the Clippers skilled a little bit of turnover on their workers beneath him when lead assistant Dan Craig joined the Chicago Bulls. That opened a slot for Van Gundy to affix Lue’s bench.
This will probably be a pivotal offseason for the Clippers relating to constructing their roster for the following a number of seasons. Each Paul George and James Harden are set to develop into free brokers, and whereas Harden will not be anticipated to have a sturdy market, a number of groups are reportedly planning pursuits of George. The Clippers, up to now, have reportedly not provided George a full, four-year max contract. Groups just like the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic are anticipated to. That leaves his future, and the staff’s, unsure.
Regardless of who fits up for the Clippers on the courtroom subsequent season, they are going to have one of many NBA’s greatest teaching staffs main the way in which. Lue is a former champion and some of the revered head coaches within the recreation. Now he provides a widely known former head coach and broadcaster to his bench.
