Jeff Van Gundy endorses Knicks’ ‘elite’ Tom Thibodeau hire

The New York Knicks’ hire of Tom Thibodeau as head coach has won a lot of praise, but one ringing endorsement that matters comes from someone who knows both the team and coach well.

Jeff Van Gundy said the Knicks made an “elite” hire in Thibodeau, and that he has what it takes to turn the franchise into a winner again.

“I’m extremely happy for Tom and equally happy for the Knicks as they hired an elite coach who will give everything he has to turn the Knicks around,” Van Gundy told Marc Berman of the New York Post via email.

Thibodeau knows the Knicks, and he knows Van Gundy. He served as an assistant to Van Gundy in New York and later Houston. Thibodeau knows what it’s like to work in New York and has a track record of success as an NBA head coach, so Van Gundy’s intuition may prove correct.

As for Van Gundy, it sounds like there’s at least some chance he could be coaching against Thibodeau next season at some point.