After taking two seasons off from coaching, Stan Van Gundy could now be making his way back to the sideline.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on Tuesday that Van Gundy has emerged as one of four expected finalists for the New Orleans Pelicans job. Wojnarowski adds that LA Clippers assistant coach Tyronn Lue is also another finalist.
Van Gundy, 61, has 12 total seasons of NBA head coaching experience. He last coached the Detroit Pistons from 2014 to 2018, making just one playoff appearance over that span. Van Gundy also previously coached the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. He has never coached in the Western Conference though.
The Pelicans fired head coach Alvin Gentry in August and have an excellent core of young players to build around. Van Gundy’s brother Jeff has actually gotten more buzz recently in the coaching rumor mill. But Stan has a wealth of experience and development skills, so he makes for a strong candidate.
