The Houston Rockets will announce tomorrow the official hiring of former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. The Knicks will apparently receive a second round draft pick as compensation.
I like this move. I thought Van Gundy was underrated in New York, and Houston ought to be a less pressure-filled environment for him. With the new arena opening in the fall, and Yao Ming sure to be better in his second year, they have a lot going for them. Let’s hope they capitalize on it.
I think Jeff Van Gundy is much better than anybody in the New York Knick organization ever thought he was. He did get the team to the Finals, and led the team to the best years since the early 70s.
There is also supposed to be a guarantee of a series of exhibition games with the Rockets involved in this agreement, which makes this a steal for the Knicks considering there was only a short time left on the contract.
The only really bad moment was when he was grabbing Patrick Ewing’s leg during the fight against Miami in the playoffs a few years back. As one reporter commented, “He looked like he was doing an imitation of the Taco Bell Chihuaua.”