In line with previous reports, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst says the Rockets are looking at former head coach Jeff Van Gundy and current Los Angeles Clippers assistant Sam Cassell for the vacancy in Houston.
During his Friday appearance on The Jump, Windhorst said:
He [GM Daryl Morey] has known for a while that there’s a good chance he was going to have a coaching opening.
Keep an eye on former Rocket, a guy who won a championship here, Sam Cassell. He may be getting his first coaching look off the LA Clippers staff. If not him, one of the favorites is our colleague at ESPN, former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy. He’s in the mix for this job. It would be very different than Mike D’Antoni. This personnel is built to play fast. We’d see how he would handle that.
The Jump’s host, Rachel Nichols, then pointed out that Van Gundy still lives in Houston and has deep ties with the city and organization.
In the Rockets portion of his segment, Windhorst did not mention fellow Clippers assistant Ty Lue, who has been identified by other reporters as a serious candidate in Houston.
As a player, Cassell was part of the “Clutch City” Rockets, having won two NBA championships in Houston during 1994 and 1995. He’s been an assistant coach for the last 11 years, including the last six for Doc Rivers — who recently gave a strong endorsement of Cassell for a lead job.
Doc Rivers to @sabreenajm on the head coaching openings and Sam Cassell – “Sam Cassell should be a head coach now. He’s got an incredibly high basketball IQ and I hope he gets a shot. He’s paid every due that is possible and he’s yet to get a job, so I’m hoping that happens.” pic.twitter.com/v1fkBmLruf
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) September 10, 2020
Meanwhile, Van Gundy — who currently calls NBA games as an analyst for ESPN and ABC — hasn’t coached in the NBA since his stint leading the Rockets from 2003-04 through 2006-07.
Known best for his emphasis on defense, Van Gundy has a career coaching record of 430-318 (.575) over parts of 11 seasons as head coach of New York and Houston. Van Gundy is 44-44 (.500) in the playoffs, including a trip to the 1999 NBA Finals with the Knicks.
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