Bee: Kings, Van Gundy talk awhile

[VF21]

http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/204077.html

Kings, Van Gundy talk awhile
Former Miami coach has lengthy interview in Las Vegas
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:20 am PDT Sunday, June 3, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1

LAS VEGAS -- In the third booth from the right at the Palms Casino Resort's 24/7 Cafe, the four nattily attired men blended in amid the crowded restaurant.

There were Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie and co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof. And there was the guest of honor taking part in his second interview for the team's head-coaching position -- former Miami coach Stan Van Gundy.

After a lunch that began about noon and wrapped up just past 1 p.m., the group parted ways, with the Maloofs and Van Gundy heading toward the "Fantasy Tower" and Petrie going alone to the "Palms Tower." Minutes later, Van Gundy exited with his suitcase rolling at his feet and was asked if his meeting was over.

"We're just getting started," he replied.

The weekend of utmost significance in the Kings' coaching search got off to a lengthy start with Van Gundy's session, which ended in the late afternoon. Van Gundy flew back to his Miami-area home late Saturday night, while the Maloofs hopped on a plane for Sacramento to attend the Monarchs' home opener.

Petrie remained in Las Vegas, where he will reconvene with the Maloofs today for the second and -- for the moment -- last scheduled second interview with Los Angeles Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis. Basketball vice president Wayne Cooper also participated in Saturday's Van Gundy interview.

Van Gundy, who didn't return calls after the interview, hopes this is the beginning for him and the Kings, as he has been out of the coaching ranks since he reportedly was forced out by Heat president Pat Riley in December 2005.

While Seattle requested permission last month to speak with Rambis about its head-coaching vacancy, Van Gundy -- by his own doing -- has focused solely on Sacramento. After interviewing twice with Indiana, he turned down an offer to be the Pacers' head coach before the job went to Jim O'Brien on Thursday. Van Gundy also expressed interest in the Orlando position that went to former Florida coach Billy Donovan on Thursday.

"He was well prepared, very professional," Petrie said of Van Gundy, repeating a standard post-interview summation. "It was a chance for Joe and Gavin and George (Maloof) and some other people to talk to him, to see him and meet him. We're going to get ahead tomorrow with Kurt, probably sit down at that point and talk to Joe and Gavin and everybody else about where we're going to go from there."

While at the Monarchs' game, Joe Maloof said Van Gundy impressed.

"It went well," he said. "We liked him a lot."

Petrie reiterated that Van Gundy and Rambis might not be the end of the second interviews, and the brain trust plans to discuss its next move after the Rambis interview. Yet Van Gundy clearly helped his cause in both his May 14 interview with Petrie and Saturday's meeting, leaving the prospect of his hiring seeming entirely possible.

The Maloofs had spoken by phone to Van Gundy and Rambis before these interviews, a digital getting-to-know-you before the more personal one. The plan for the formal meeting was to also include brother Phil Maloof in the interviews, although via teleconference. The Maloofs' mother, Colleen, is out of the country and did not participate in the Van Gundy interview.

The possible involvement of Detroit assistant Terry Porter, meanwhile, remains a mystery. As Petrie watched Game 6 of the Detroit-Cleveland Eastern Conference finals, he would not say whether he plans to contact the former Kings assistant when the Pistons' season was over. Detroit lost the game and series Saturday night.

Two sources with knowledge of the process also said current Kings assistant Scott Brooks is still being considered, although he does not have a second interview scheduled. The sources did not want to speak on the record because of the ongoing interview process.

About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@ sacbee.com. The Bee's Ailene Voisin contributed to this report.

 

[VF21]

This sounds interesting.

I do hope that if SVG gets the job he'll consider keeping on a couple of the assistant coaches like Scott Brooks and Jason Hamm, who both gave their all in less than ideal circumstances under Musselman.

 

[BMiller52]

Yeah I still remember that Brooks did a pretty good job during Musselhead's suspension. He also has some experience under George Karl and I like him. I'm not sure who was SVG's assistants in Miami but I think he'll probably bring in a person from there. Also like to see Jason Hamm kept because IIRC the younger players said he really helped them improve a lot and they actually played pretty well when they ended up getting time at the end of the season.

I like SVG, he really seems to want to be here and he's been succesful before. The roster he had in Miami was awful and he took them to the 2nd round of the playoffs and put up a fight against the Pacers. He also seems like he's a guy that's not afraid of using young guys, he played Haslem in Miami his 1st season despite him being an undrafted FA. He's a good defensive coach and a good offensive coach, although I can't remember what type of offense he ran in Miami.

 

[VF21]

SVG isn't tied to a particular offense. If he did get the job, I'm pretty sure he'd spend a little time getting to know the players and their various strengths and weaknesses and tailor an offense best suited to take advantage of what he has to work with...

Of course, I'm hoping whomever we bring in to be the next head coach would do the same thing.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Yeah I still remember that Brooks did a pretty good job during Musselhead's suspension. He also has some experience under George Karl and I like him. I'm not sure who was SVG's assistants in Miami but I think he'll probably bring in a person from there. Also like to see Jason Hamm kept because IIRC the younger players said he really helped them improve a lot and they actually played pretty well when they ended up getting time at the end of the season.

I like SVG, he really seems to want to be here and he's been succesful before. The roster he had in Miami was awful and he took them to the 2nd round of the playoffs and put up a fight against the Pacers. He also seems like he's a guy that's not afraid of using young guys, he played Haslem in Miami his 1st season despite him being an undrafted FA. He's a good defensive coach and a good offensive coach, although I can't remember what type of offense he ran in Miami.

I think he was more half court oriented in Miami but like VF said I don't think he's tied to one offense. He's definitely a defensive coach first and foremost.

 

[Spike]

Remember, it's going to take the coach 50 games to figure out his team.

 

[Entity]

Remember, it's going to take the coach 50 games to figure out his team.

Thats just for coaches who aren't real good. a good coach it should only take a month of practices and then fine tune it in 5 preseason games.

Could somebody tell me that watched SVG alot how he acted at Miami on the sidelines. Was he into the games and intense or more of a sit back and watch type guy. Like techs and things like that and did he seem to help the team during the games. Some coaches can teach in practice and some can help during the games with speeches and stratedgy or whatnot.

 

[KevinSalvadori]

I get the feeling that Petrie and co. are going to want a coach that will be attractive to players and have at least some reputation of being a "player's coach" insofar that he lets them define their role as opposed to assigning it. That said, I think that may put SVG or Porter in the lead. I also think the Maloof's want a coach that they can, without a shadow of a doubt, commit to for the next few years. Someone that has weathered storms before and can excite both fans and players in equal measures...again, that may be tied to SVG or Porter. I'm not discounting Rambis' potential in this regard, but this is something that Porter and SVG have a reputation for, and that may stand out to potential new acquisitions....

 

[Sac.Kings]

i remember SVG as extremely hyped during the games. he doesnt mind getting at refs either and when a player makes a mistake they will hear about it. i watched a lot of miami games when he was the coach and they were pretty well coordinated, especially defensely. he knows how to use his timeouts and wont allow a big run by the other team. personally, he is my first choice as coach.

 

[Jerryaki]

also, i remember SVG as being intense after the game, during the postgame interviews. not the usual "both teams played hard, we take our hats off to them, blah blah blah" type of nattering; he speaks his mind and doesn't seem to hold his emotions back.

i remember particularly the playoff series when they had wade and still had lamar and caron butler, how after they beat their first round opponent, he basically gave a giant F U to all the reporters there for not giving his team a chance.

 

[AleksandarN]

Here is some info on SVG at nba.com

http://www.nba.com/coachfile/stan_van_gundy/

"In just two years as an NBA head coach, Stan Van Gundy’s list of accomplishments is quite impressive and continues to grow rapidly. Since being named the fifth head coach in franchise history and taking over the reigns from HEAT President Pat Riley on Oct. 24, 2003, Van Gundy has guided Miami to two postseason berths, a Southeast Division championship, 101 regular season wins and 17 postseason victories. The 17 postseason victories rank third in the NBA over the two-year period and the 101 regular season wins stand as the fifth highest mark in the league. Additionally, in each of his two years as a head coach he has guided the HEAT to a 17-win improvement over the previous season, making him only the second coach in NBA history to lead his team to at least 15-win improvements in consecutive years.

Following a legend in any business is tough, and in coaching circles there are few that measure up to Riley, a sure Hall-of-Famer. Van Gundy, however, has rewarded Riley’s confidence in him and is developing his own legacy. In his two seasons he has guided two vastly different rosters and led each of those teams to at least the conference semifinals, only the third and fourth times in franchise history that the HEAT has advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs and the first time it has been accomplished in consecutive years. Last season he took the HEAT a step further, guiding Miami to the Eastern Conference Finals for only the second time in the team’s history and came within several minutes of reaching the finals. His .607 postseason winning percentage ranks 10th on the NBA’s all-time list and fourth among active coaches. Van Gundy’s 17 postseason wins rank second on Miami’s all-time list, one behind Riley, and both his postseason and regular season (.616) winning percentages rank first in HEAT history. He has also guided Miami to its only two four-game postseason sweeps, eliminating both New Jersey and Washington in four games during the magical 2005 postseason run. The eight consecutive postseason victories established a franchise record.

His regular season success during the first half of the 2004-05 season earned him the honor of being named the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars for the 2005 NBA All-Star Game in Denver. Van Gundy was the first Miami HEAT coach to serve as an All-Star head coach and guided the Eastern Conference All-Stars to a 10-point victory.

After an outstanding rookie year in which he took a team that had won 25 games the previous year, and with a couple of key additions, turned it into a 42-win playoff team, expectations where high for Van Gundy and the HEAT for the 2004-05 season. Those expectations rose even higher after Riley pulled off a blockbluster trade acquiring All-Star Shaquille O’Neal. Van Gundy once again proved up to the challenge leading the HEAT, with 11 new players during the 2004-05 season, to a 59-23 record and earning the top record in the Eastern Conference. The 59 wins marked the second-best single-season total in franchise history and allowed the HEAT to capture the inaugural Southeast Division title by a whopping 14 games over its next closest competitor, the largest margin for any division winner in the NBA in 2004-05. In fact the 14-win edge over the second place division finisher was the largest in the NBA since the Chicago Bulls won the Central Division by 20 games over its next closest competitor in the 1995-96 season. One of the keys to Miami’s success in 2004-05 was dominating its division rivals. The HEAT posted a 15-1 record and .938 winning percentage against Southeast Division foes, setting an NBA record in the process for best divisional record. The HEAT tied eventual NBA champion San Antonio for the second best overall record in the NBA in 2004-05. Miami’s 35-6 mark at home was the best in the Eastern Conference and second best in the league while its 24-17 road mark topped the Eastern Conference and ranked fifth in the league.

A three-time Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in his two seasons, Van Gundy received the league honor twice during the 2004-05 campaign. It didn’t take long for Miami’s new additions to accept the coach’s philosophy and produce positive results. Van Gundy was tabbed the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in December after guiding the HEAT to a 14-1 record. The 14 wins and .933 winning percentage each set franchise records for a single month. Van Gundy also grabbed the honor in March after directing the HEAT to a 12-3 mark. Major winning streaks played a huge part in Van Gundy earning the monthly honors. The HEAT went on a franchise-record 14-game winning streak from Dec. 6-Jan. 1 and reeled off 12 straight victories from Feb. 26-Mar. 19. In the process, Van Gundy’s HEAT became the first Eastern Conference team with a pair of double-digit winning streaks in the same season since the 1995-96 NBA champion Chicago Bulls.

Although he has always emphasized defense first, Van Gundy also stressed the importance of teamwork and shot selection on the offensive end. During the 2004-05 campaign, the HEAT set a franchise-record by shooting 48.6 percent from the floor as a team, a +.061 improvement over the 2003-04 season. The +.061 improvement was easily tops in the league nearly doubling the next best improvement. Twelve of Miami’s 14 players with at least one year of NBA experience improved their shooting percentage from the previous season, with five of those players establishing career highs. The effort translated on the scoreboard as the HEAT set a team record with 50 100-point games. Defensively the team still remained one of the league’s best ranking first in blocked shots, fourth in field goal percentage defense and eighth in fewest points allowed per game.

Always known throughout the league for his work ethic and attention to detail, Van Gundy was put to the test early in his initial season after Riley decided to step down before the start of the season and give the team a new look. Although the announcement on October 24, 2003 might have come as a shock to most, the well-prepared Van Gundy was ready to tackle the challenge. He had spent the previous eight years, including six as the team’s assistant head coach, sitting on the HEAT bench next to Riley, who ranks third all-time in NBA coaching victories. Despite a rash of injuries early and an unforgiving schedule which saw the HEAT drop its first seven contests, Van Gundy never panicked and showed the poise of a veteran as he guided the HEAT in the right direction and a 42-40 regular season mark. The 42 victories tied him with his predecessor Riley for the most by an individual in his first season as a HEAT head coach.

Van Gundy’s inaugural season as a head coach resulted in Miami’s first playoff berth in three years. In the process the HEAT became just the fourth team since the NBA went to its current playoff format in 1983-84 to make the playoffs after starting the season with at least seven consecutive losses. He guided Miami to a 17-win improvement over the previous season, the second best single-season improvement in franchise history and the fourth best in the NBA from the 2002-03 season to the 2003-04 campaign. Not only did Van Gundy lead his team into the playoffs, but by virtue of its 17-4 record over the final 21 games of the 2003-04 season, the HEAT finished second in the Atlantic Division and with the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference, earning Miami homecourt advantage in its Opening Round playoff series against New Orleans.

In the postseason the HEAT defeated New Orleans, 4-3, in the Opening Round, making Van Gundy just the fourth rookie head coach in NBA history to win a decisive seventh game joining Paul Westphal (1993), Jerry West (1977) and Joe Mullaney (1970). He led the HEAT to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for just the third time in franchise history, before being eliminated in six games by the Indiana Pacers, the team which registered the best record in the NBA during the 2003-04 campaign. Along the way the HEAT won a franchise-record six consecutive home playoff games.

Individually, Van Gundy won Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors for March 2004 after leading the HEAT to an Eastern Conference best 12-3 record for the month. Miami entered the month of March ten games under .500 (25-35) and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings and closed the month one game under .500 (37-38) and in a three-way tie for fourth place. The 12 victories Van Gundy guided Miami to at the time tied for the second highest monthly total in HEAT history, one shy of the franchise record set in February of 1998 (13-2). The club also won a season-high seven consecutive games from Mar. 12-26, Miami’s longest winning streak since a seven-game winning streak from Mar. 28-Apr. 9, 2000. The seven-game winning streak gave Van Gundy the franchise’s longest winning streak by a head coach in his first season guiding the HEAT.

Two areas that Van Gundy has continually stressed that the HEAT need to be strong in are on the defensive end of the floor and at home. His teams have delivered in both areas. The HEAT has finished eighth in scoring defense in both years under Van Gundy, marking ten consecutive years Miami has placed in the top 10 in the league. Under Van Gundy the HEAT have returned as one of the more dominant homecourt teams in the NBA. After recording a combined 34 victories at home during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, Miami has won 78 percent of its regular season games played at the AmericanAirlines Arena under Van Gundy, producing a 64-18 home mark. Included among the 64 wins is a franchise-record 18-game home winning streak from Jan. 21, 2005-Apr. 5, 2005. The HEAT finished 35-6 at home during the 2004-05 regular season to set a franchise record for home victories in a season. In Van Gundy’s first season the HEAT finished with a 29-12 record at home. The 29 victories are tied for the fourth best single-season mark in franchise history. The HEAT’s 29 home victories during the 2003-04 season were 13 more than the previous year, easily smashing its previous best improvement over an 82-game season. In postseason play, Van Gundy’s teams have produced a 12-3 home record, including a franchise-record six-game home winning streak during the 2004 Playoffs.

The 46-year-old Van Gundy came to the HEAT in 1995 after serving as head coach at the University of Wisconsin. Before his tenure as the head coach with the Badgers, he was an assistant at UW under current NBA Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson. Van Gundy began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Vermont, 1981-83, and was head coach at Castleton State College (VT) for three seasons. After assistant coaching stints at Canisius College in 1987 and Fordham University in 1988, Van Gundy was named head coach at Massachusetts-Lowell and spent four seasons there before being hired at Wisconsin. In eight years as a college head coach, Van Gundy compiled a record of 135-92 (.535).

to be cont.

 

[AleksandarN]

A native of Indio, CA, the affable Van Gundy has been around the game of basketball his entire life. Growing up he often went on scouting trips with his father, Bill, a successful college coach, and went on to become a star guard at Alhambra High School. He played in college for his father at SUNY-Brockport, where he was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the entire SUNY system as a senior. Van Gundy graduated from SUNY-Brockport in 1981 with a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Physical Education. His father also served as head basketball coach at Genesee Community College in Batavia, N.Y before retiring and moving down to Florida. Jeff Van Gundy, Stan’s younger brother and current head coach of the Houston Rockets, is entering his tenth year as an NBA head coach. Prior to taking over the coaching reigns of the Rockets in 2003, Jeff was the head coach of the New York Knicks from 1996-2001, where he also worked under the tutelage of Pat Riley from 1991-95. On Nov. 11, 2003, Stan and Jeff Van Gundy became just the second pair of brothers to face one another as NBA head coaches joining Herb and Larry Brown who first accomplished the feat in 1977.

Van Gundy, an avid baseball fan, resides in Miami with his wife Kim and their four children, Shannon (14), Michael (11), Alison (9) and Kelly (6)."

 

[NYKingsfan]

SVG was very intense while pacing the Heat sidelines. Earlier today, in a different post, I paranthetically mentioned how Flip Saunders looked very dapper on the sidelines. Suit buttoned, shirt buttoned..tie intact. My recollection of SVG involved him sweating on the sidelines..shirt loosened..hair matted...constantly barking out instructions. A very involved coach

 

[Brinzotti]

I'm not sure if this is posted anywhere else but it pertains to here

Chicago Tribune posted
Stan Van Gundy will be getting an offer to coach the Orlando Magic after Billy Donovan bailed out on them. According to a source in the article, the Magic only interviewed SVG and Donovan.

Van Gundy -- by his own doing -- has focused solely on Sacramento

It also appers that SVG could go somewhere other than Sac.

SVG is my choice to coach the Kings, but if this article is accurate, then it will be interesting to see where SVG chooses to go.

 

[gunks]

They may force Petrie to just go ahead and make SVG an offer sooner if he is in fact a frontrunner.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Thanks Billy Donovan for being a backpeddling second guessing little wuss.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Well the Donavan back peddel does make that opening bu hier innitial snub works to the Kings advantage. I would agree that IF the Kings feel SVJ is clearly their best choice so far they need to make an offer or at the veryy least TELL him what their time frame for decision making is then ask him to wait that long BEFORE accepting any offers. And of course we have no way of knowing if that is not the case.

I am not saying I don't like the idea of Van Gundy in Sac, but I will say I am not sold on the guy like many posters are. No doubt he is the safest choice and the most experienced of the fron runners, but if I am in full rebuild mode as management I I want either a guy that is VERY comfortable/patient with a rebuild process and even has plans for how to do it OR I want a more disposable coach who's contract is either short or cheap and preferably both. Give me a guy with little to loose and lots to win if I am going to go gambleing.

 

[Spike]

Thats just for coaches who aren't real good. a good coach it should only take a month of practices and then fine tune it in 5 preseason games.

Sorry, my comment was tongue-in-cheek, based on Muss' earlier comment.

 

[Sptsjunkie]

I am not saying I don't like the idea of Van Gundy in Sac, but I will say I am not sold on the guy like many posters are. No doubt he is the safest choice and the most experienced of the fron runners, but if I am in full rebuild mode as management I I want either a guy that is VERY comfortable/patient with a rebuild process and even has plans for how to do it OR I want a more disposable coach who's contract is either short or cheap and preferably both. Give me a guy with little to loose and lots to win if I am going to go gambleing.

I think Van Gundy could still be a good choice for this role because:

1 - As Brick outlined in another post (see: Rambis is not a coach string) Van Gundy has proven his chops rebuilding before. He said it well, so I will not rehash the whole thing.

2 - This could actually be a good situation for Van Gundy. The Magic would be expecting immediate results and that could be a high pressure situation to step into. Here he would have more leeway to rebuild a team in his image.

3 - Building on that concept, the Magic already have a style and an identity. Assuming the Kings do trade Artest and Bibby (although maybe not until midseason) the Kings would have a team comprised mostly of young, coachable promising players. Even the veterans (besides KT) would be very coachable. Shareef, Corliss (if we resign him cheap) and Miller all have good guy reputations and have accepted multiple roles before.