The New Orleans Pelicans are continuing their search for a new head coach and are narrowing down the candidates to a handful of finalists. Among those finalists is an unexpected name in Stan Van Gundy. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that Van Gundy is set to meet with the Pelicans later that day as one of four finalists for the position.
Another finalist for the position is Ty Lue, who has been rumored for the position much longer than Van Gundy. Lue is set for a meeting this week as well, reported Wojnarowski on Tuesday. The former title-winning coach with the Cavaliers has made the rounds in interviews this week, also meeting with the Rockets on Monday.
As for Van Gundy, he has been out of the game for two years after being fired from the Detroit Pistons following the 2017-18 season. In four tumultuous years as both coach and general manager in Detroit, Van Gundy finished with a 152-176 record.
Prior to Detroit, Van Gundy led the Orlando Magic for five seasons, guiding them to the playoffs each season and to the NBA Finals in 2008-09. He also spent three years as head coach in Miami. In total, Van Gundy has a 523-384 record in 12 years as a head coach.
Unlike Lue, Van Gundy does not have a connection with the Pelicans or the front office led by David Griffin. The other two finalists for the position have not been revealed. The Pelicans have been rather mum on their search process with Lue, Van Gundy and Doc Rivers being the only names seriously linked with the position.