It has not taken long for former New York Knicks head coach and ESPN broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy to land a new job in the NBA.
Will the Addition of Van Gundy Hurt the Knicks’ Chances Against the Celtics?
Van Gundy will serve as a ‘Senior Consultant’ for the Boston Celtics, marking their most recent addition in a string of moves as per Brian Robb of masslive.com:
“Van Gundy is the latest addition to Boston’s staff which included a number of notable assistant hires this offseason such as Sam Cassell and Charles Lee,” Robb said.
The 61-year-old Van Gundy will be dealing with basketball operations for the storied franchise.
The Celtics have been a first-class organization for the duration of the league’s existence. They’ve continued their winning ways in recent years by reaching the NBA Finals in 2022 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018 and 2020.
Van Gundy will be ingratiated into the team on the heels of their marquee off-season acquisition of All-Star Jrue Holiday and will reportedly spend time between the Celtics and their G League affiliate.
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What Van Gundy Brings to the Celtics’ Table
Van Gundy led the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals and was instrumental in their continued success throughout the latter part of the 1990s following the departure of his predecessor Pat Riley.
He followed that up by coaching Hall-of-Famers Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming on the Houston Rockets from 2003-2007.
Van Gundy carries a lengthy coaching resume and his time next to Mike Breen and Mark Jackson covering games for ESPN on ABC made his eye for the game recognizable to all tuning in.
