The Celtics already know they have a big hole to fill on Joe Mazzulla’s coaching staff next season with top assistant Charles Lee being hired as the next head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. A potential replacement for that position may already be on Boston’s staff. Marc Stein of The Stein Line reports based on league sources that the Celtics are exploring the idea of Jeff Van Gundy joining Joe Mazzulla’s coaching staff next season.
The Celtics hired Van Gundy in October as a senior basketball operations consultant. The veteran coach split his time between working and traveling with the team in Boston while also consulting with the Maine Celtics. As the season has progressed, Van Gundy has been a constant presence at team practices and on road trips amid Boston’s run to the NBA Finals.
Brad Stevens discussed Van Gundy’s impact this season with the team in April.
“Jeff has been great,” Stevens said. “And he is on the entire coaching staff. They have been fantastic. Jeff, in his consulting role, our six player improvement coaches have been incredible with our “stay ready” group.
Van Gundy’s position with the Celtics was his first with an NBA team after broadcasting for the past 16 years with KeynoteUSA. Before color commentary, Van Gundy excelled on several teams as an NBA coach, compiling a 430-318 record with the Knicks and Rockets over 11 seasons. He has also had a good relationship with Stevens over the years according to sources, which likely gave Boston a better chance of signing him once KeynoteUSA fired him last year.
“I will say this: I’ve known Jeff for a long time and had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with him over the years,” Stevens said. “It’s fun to watch a game with him when he doesn’t have to talk in 15-second fragments. “It’s quite entertaining.”
Van Gundy’s name came up as a candidate for the Bucks job after Adrian Griffin’s firing and he reportedly turned down a spot on Jason Kidd’s coaching staff in Dallas last summer, according to Stein.
Lee will remain with the Celtics during their run to the NBA Finals before joining the Hornets, but he may not be the only coach to leave Boston this offseason. Sam Cassell has already interviewed for several head coaching jobs, including the Lakers job, over the last month.
Mazzulla and the Celtics obviously have bigger priorities right now than filling a spot on their coaching staff for next season. However, Van Gundy has clearly built a relationship with Mazzulla this year and would be an intriguing pick to add to the bench in the future. It may also be a good opportunity for Van Gundy to once again rise as a top candidate for head coaching vacancies in the future, like he did with Lee last year.
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