Mavericks Have Interest In Bringing Jeff Van Gundy Back To NBA…As An Assistant: Report
If Jeff Van Gundy wants to return to the NBA, he apparently has an opportunity in Dallas…as an assistant coach with the Mavericks.
Van Gundy could leave his high-profile, well-paying gig as an NBA analyst for ESPN to work under Jason Kidd, the Mavs’ head coach. Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein shared news of the Mavericks’ interest in Van Gundy on Monday, telling subscribers to his website: “I’m also told that plan to gauge Jeff Van Gundy’s interest in a potential return to the bench as an aide to Kidd after 15-plus years in broadcasting.”
That would be quite the career change, considering JVG’s been broadcasting since being fired as Rockets head coach in 2007. In recent years he’s expressed interest in returning to coaching, but the thought has always been presumed that he’d do so only as a head coach.
Jeff Van Gundy teams with Mark Jackson and Mike Breen for ESPN NBA broadcasts, but could return to coaching.: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images).
Jeff Van Gundy Has Plenty Of Experience
Prior to hiring Stephen Silas in 2020, Houston interviewed Van Gundy for their head coaching job - a position he previously held (2003-2007). In addition to coaching the Rockets, Van Gundy spent seven seasons as Knicks head coach. He has a career record of 430–318 as a head coach over 11 seasons.
Away from the NBA, Jeff Van Gundy was named coach of Team USA at the FIBA AmeriCup. His team achieved qualification at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Van Gundy, 61, would likely take a salary cut should he opt to join the Dallas coaching staff. His ESPN salary is rumored to hover around $1 million per year. In addition to a potential cut in pay, Van Gundy would be trading in his relatively stress-free gig for the headache that comes with coaching and traveling in the NBA.
And that headache could soon intensify in Dallas if Kyrie Irving gets his way. As OutKick's Alejandro Avila detailed late Monday, current Mav, Irving, is pushing for LeBron James to join him in Dallas.
Van Gundy was, and probably still is, a heck of an NBA coach. And it's obvious he still has a passion for coaching in the league. But in this instance, if I'm JVG, I'd much rather continue alongside teammates Mark Jackson and Mike Breen than join the Kyrie and LeBron circus.
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