Jeff Van Gundy Taking Knicks' Grit to LA?

The New York Knicks had a myriad of talented NBA coaches, although many crashed and burned once raving to the Empire State. However, one coach, who embodied the toughness of the city that never sleeps, succeeded at high levels not seen in the New York franchise since the 1970s. In a remarkable turn of events, former Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy hasn't missed a beat in his NBA coaching return.

After ESPN laid off its top color commentator for NBA games, Van Gundy didn't have to wait long for a role in the NBA. Last season, Van Gundy assisted in the Boston Celtics' championship season as a special advisor. However, Van Gundy is a coach at heart. For every legendary rant on ESPN television, he also shared the Xs and Os of basketball.

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue hired Van Gundy as his lead assistant coach.

Van Gundy has a career record of 430-318 as an NBA head coach. Given his experience and proximity to the current land of NBA stars, Van Gundy will become a dependable piece for Lue, thanks to his Team USA coaching tenure.

According to Lue, Van Gundy watched all 82 regular-season games from the 2023-24 Clippers campaign. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as his job with ESPN was to watch and analyze a library of NBA games for 16 years.

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It remains to be seen if his no-nonsense, hard-nosed approach to basketball will translate to a West Coast team, especially one "led" by Kawhi Leonard. As an assistant coach, Van Gundy can apply such a coaching approach in smaller doses.

The Knicks greatly benefited from Van Gundy, as they made six playoff appearances under his tenure.