If the Houston Rockets hire veteran NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy to their vacant position, recent New York Knicks interim head coach could be among Van Gundy’s assistants, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Van Gundy is believed to be one of three finalists to replace Mike D’Antoni as head coach of the Rockets. The other top candidates are John Lucas, who was D’Antoni’s director of player development in Houston for the last four seasons, and Dallas Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas.
Of those three, Van Gundy has the most prominent experience as a head coach, having worked over parts of 11 seasons in that capacity for the Rockets (2003 to 2007) and Knicks (1996 to 2001).
If Van Gundy is the hire, Miller could potentially be part of his staff in Houston, according to Berman. His report:
Mike Miller, the former Knicks interim head coach, could resurface as Jeff Van Gundy’s assistant in Houston if Van Gundy holds off John Lucas for the Rockets’ head coaching job, according to sources.
After Miller was passed over by the Knicks for the permanent position, Miller opted against staying on Tom Thibodeau’s staff to see if he could land another gig. Miller has been Van Gundy’s assistant on Team USA’s World Cup qualifying teams.
Van Gundy has spoken very highly of Miller and thought he deserved to remain as Knicks head coach after he did well taking over for David Fizdale in December. Miller weaved a 17-27 record before the season shut down on March 11.
As Van Gundy fights John Lucas for #Rockets job, Jeff may hire Mike Miller to potential staff #Knicks https://t.co/CutvGbmEL7
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) October 19, 2020
The shared USA Basketball experience of the 58-year-old Van Gundy and 56-year-old Miller could certainly be a connection worth monitoring, should “JVG” ultimately land the Houston job. By comparison, the Knicks were 17-27 (.386) under Miller, and 4-18 (.182) with David Fizdale.
According to Berman, Van Gundy’s top competition for the position with the Rockets appears to be Lucas. Having worked in Houston for the last four years, Lucas seems to have the initial endorsement of All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook, per several media reports.
There is still no definitive timetable for a hire to be made.
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Jeff Van Gundy remains a co-finalist in Houston and was still talking to the Rockets today after their initial interview Wednesday
But Lucas, league sources say, has at least three key admirers in the organization: James Harden, Russell Westbrook and new Rockets GM Rafael Stone
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 15, 2020