Stan Van Gundy met with New Orleans Pelicans officials on Tuesday, emerging as one of four expected finalists for the franchise’s coaching job, sources told ESPN.
Another New Orleans finalist — LA Clippers assistant Ty Lue — has a meeting set for this week, too, sources told ESPN.
Van Gundy’s reputation as a teacher of the game in 11-plus seasons with the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons has made him a formidable candidate for a young Pelicans roster. The Pelicans — who finished 30-42 and 13th in the Western Conference last season — have a young core that includes Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, as well as veterans Jrue Holiday and JJ Redick. The Pelicans are expected to be a team capable of making significant progress in the standings in the next few years.
Van Gundy, 61, has a 523-384 (.577) regular-season record and 48-43 (.427) playoff record in the NBA.
He led the Magic to the NBA Finals in the 2008-09 season.
Van Gundy’s four seasons in Detroit included a dual title as president and coach, and personnel decisions — particularly in the draft — played a role in limiting the team’s success. Still, Van Gundy did elevate the Pistons out of several years in the lottery to the playoffs in 2016 with 44 victories.
After meetings with ownership and management on Monday, Lue’s candidacy has gathered significant momentum with the Houston Rockets, sources told ESPN.
The Rockets are competing with the Clippers for Lue and could try to extend an offer before LA has completed its search process, sources said.
Both Lue and Stan’s brother, Jeff Van Gundy, are prominent parts of the Rockets’ and Clippers’ coaching searches — and Lue has been the Clippers’ front-runner since Doc Rivers was dismissed on Sept. 28, sources said.
Lue won a championship in 2016 as the Cleveland Cavaliers coach, and he reached the NBA Finals in three straight years. He was fired after an 0-6 start in the 2018-19 season. Lue is 128-83 overall and 41-20 in the playoffs.