Stan Van Gundy has no interest in coaching the New York Knicks, an organization he calls “extremely dysfunctional.”
Although the NBA is in limbo right now, the New York Knicks still have huge questions to answer before the 2020-21 season. First and foremost, they need to figure out who will be coaching the orange and blue.
Interim head coach Mike Miller has helped right the ship during a turbulent season. He definitely deserves consideration, but if team president Leon Rose does move on from Miller, he’ll have no shortage of high-profile guys interested in the gig.
With that said, don’t count on Stan Van Gundy being in the mix.
“I’m not really interested in the New York Knicks, no,” Stan Van Gundy said on ESPN Radio, according to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov. “First of all, there’s a family history there. If anyone would be interested in that it — and I’m not sure he is, either — it would be my brother. And number two, I just — I’ve said this, I’m different than a lot of coaches in looking at jobs. To me, it’s all about who you work for and who you work with. Everything I’ve seen over the last few years with that organization says that it’s extremely dysfunctional.”
Stan Van Gundy’s non-interest in the job is far from surprising. His brother, Jeff Van Gundy, would seem like a much more likely candidate. Even if Jeff Van Gundy is interested in a return, there are other big names on the market.
Reportedly, there is mutual interest between the organization and former Knicks assistant Tom Thibodeau. Former Knick Mark Jackson could be another guy in the running to take over in Madison Square Garden.
With all this said, Stan believes the Brooklyn Nets are the better gig.
“Of the two, the Nets are the better job,” Van Gundy said. “There’s no question about that right now. The organization has been more stable. They’ve won more games. They have more talent.”
It’s hard to argue with that. The expectations will be higher in Brooklyn with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but the Nets have a wide-open championship window while the Knicks are in the midst of a rebuild.
