Van Gundy touring Sacramento
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 7:00 pm PDT Wednesday, June 6, 2007
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] The race to hire Stan Van Gundy took on a more relaxed pace Wednesday.
At least for the coach himself.
While the Orlando Magic hurried to finalize the legalities of the Billy Donovan fallout and the Kings hoped the endless extenuating circumstances were to their favor, the Kings coaching candidate who was so widely expected to take the Magic job snuck into Sacramento with his wife, Kim.
They touched down and rented a car and began to roam the area, pondering possibilities beyond the roster and salary cap space and - by all indications - planning their move here.
While the Kings only confirmed Van Gundy's presence, it appears as if the only magic trick being pulled is the one on Orlando. Asked on Tuesday if the Kings had officially offered Van Gundy the job, a Kings official noted that Van Gundy had yet to spend any time getting acquainted with the Sacramento area. That no longer appears to be a problem.
The logical and assumed future of Van Gundy in Orlando first took a turn when Donovan's backtracking became a messy affair. Not only did the former Florida coach renege on a five-year, $27.5 million contract, but the Magic engaged him in a legal battle and reportedly forced him to sign an agreement to not coach in the NBA for five years.
All of this, of course, began to worry Van Gundy, the former Miami coach from 2003 to 2005 who is eager to rejoin the ranks and wasn't keen on the idea of waiting for Orlando while the Kings job could come and go. Then Pat Riley further delayed the process.
Van Gundy is still working under his coaching contract as a consultant, and Riley - the Miami coach and Heat president who is notorious for complicating matters when his people attempt to join an Eastern Conference foe - reportedly made a compensation demand to release Van Gundy and may have effectively driven him to the Western Conference. There are no such known requests being made of the Kings. The only scenario in which Van Gundy doesn't become coach of the Kings, it seems, is if the Magic rush to satisfy Riley's demands and make Van Gundy an offer he can't refuse.
Complications aside, the Magic job certainly seems more appealing for Van Gundy. He lives in the Miami area and has extended family nearby, all important factors for the 47-year-old who has four school-aged kids. Van Gundy is, however, from the Bay Area, as he attended Alhambra High School in Martinez and his father was a longtime high school basketball coach in the Bay Area and also at Cal State Hayward.
Van Gundy had told sources close to him that he would make a decision by Wednesday because he feared waiting too long and losing out on both jobs. Van Gundy - who also interviewed with Charlotte and Indiana and even turned down a job offer from the Pacers - was one of eight candidates interviewed by the Kings and one of only two who received second interviews.
In his time as the Heat head coach (Oct. 24, 2003 to Dec. 12, 2005), Van Gundy was 112-73. With the Heat looking to improve on the previous season's 25 wins, Van Gundy first took over just four days before the 2003-04 campaign. While it was one season shy of the Shaquille O'Neal arrival, it was the rookie season of eventual NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade.
Riley had resigned unexpectedly after eight years on the job, and Van Gundy's team recovered from an 0-7 start to post a 42-40 record. They advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but fell in six games to Indiana.
With O'Neal on board after the blockbuster trade with Los Angeles, the Heat had the league's second best record (59-23) and fell in seven games to Detroit inthe Eastern Conference Finals. Van Gundy left as Heat coach on Dec. 12, 2005, citing family reasons.
Riley assumed the head coaching duties and led the Heat to the NBA title.
Van Gundy posted a 135-92 record in eight years as a college coach, with his top job coming as the head coach of University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the Heat in 1995 as an assistant under Riley.
The Bees Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/208995.html
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By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Published 7:00 pm PDT Wednesday, June 6, 2007
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] The race to hire Stan Van Gundy took on a more relaxed pace Wednesday.
At least for the coach himself.
While the Orlando Magic hurried to finalize the legalities of the Billy Donovan fallout and the Kings hoped the endless extenuating circumstances were to their favor, the Kings coaching candidate who was so widely expected to take the Magic job snuck into Sacramento with his wife, Kim.
They touched down and rented a car and began to roam the area, pondering possibilities beyond the roster and salary cap space and - by all indications - planning their move here.
While the Kings only confirmed Van Gundy's presence, it appears as if the only magic trick being pulled is the one on Orlando. Asked on Tuesday if the Kings had officially offered Van Gundy the job, a Kings official noted that Van Gundy had yet to spend any time getting acquainted with the Sacramento area. That no longer appears to be a problem.
The logical and assumed future of Van Gundy in Orlando first took a turn when Donovan's backtracking became a messy affair. Not only did the former Florida coach renege on a five-year, $27.5 million contract, but the Magic engaged him in a legal battle and reportedly forced him to sign an agreement to not coach in the NBA for five years.
All of this, of course, began to worry Van Gundy, the former Miami coach from 2003 to 2005 who is eager to rejoin the ranks and wasn't keen on the idea of waiting for Orlando while the Kings job could come and go. Then Pat Riley further delayed the process.
Van Gundy is still working under his coaching contract as a consultant, and Riley - the Miami coach and Heat president who is notorious for complicating matters when his people attempt to join an Eastern Conference foe - reportedly made a compensation demand to release Van Gundy and may have effectively driven him to the Western Conference. There are no such known requests being made of the Kings. The only scenario in which Van Gundy doesn't become coach of the Kings, it seems, is if the Magic rush to satisfy Riley's demands and make Van Gundy an offer he can't refuse.
Complications aside, the Magic job certainly seems more appealing for Van Gundy. He lives in the Miami area and has extended family nearby, all important factors for the 47-year-old who has four school-aged kids. Van Gundy is, however, from the Bay Area, as he attended Alhambra High School in Martinez and his father was a longtime high school basketball coach in the Bay Area and also at Cal State Hayward.
Van Gundy had told sources close to him that he would make a decision by Wednesday because he feared waiting too long and losing out on both jobs. Van Gundy - who also interviewed with Charlotte and Indiana and even turned down a job offer from the Pacers - was one of eight candidates interviewed by the Kings and one of only two who received second interviews.
In his time as the Heat head coach (Oct. 24, 2003 to Dec. 12, 2005), Van Gundy was 112-73. With the Heat looking to improve on the previous season's 25 wins, Van Gundy first took over just four days before the 2003-04 campaign. While it was one season shy of the Shaquille O'Neal arrival, it was the rookie season of eventual NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade.
Riley had resigned unexpectedly after eight years on the job, and Van Gundy's team recovered from an 0-7 start to post a 42-40 record. They advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but fell in six games to Indiana.
With O'Neal on board after the blockbuster trade with Los Angeles, the Heat had the league's second best record (59-23) and fell in seven games to Detroit inthe Eastern Conference Finals. Van Gundy left as Heat coach on Dec. 12, 2005, citing family reasons.
Riley assumed the head coaching duties and led the Heat to the NBA title.
Van Gundy posted a 135-92 record in eight years as a college coach, with his top job coming as the head coach of University of Wisconsin-Madison. He joined the Heat in 1995 as an assistant under Riley.
The Bees Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/208995.html
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