Stan Van Gundy spent the past two seasons as a TV analyst and said at his introductory press conference Tuesday, he wanted to coach again, but “only if we could find an absolutely great opportunity,
“And New Orleans had it all,” he said.
Van Gundy said the Pelicans availability was the only one job he put his name in the hat for and said he while he always missed coaching, he really felt the itch while being in the NBA’s bubble.
“Broadcasting the games in the bubble and sort of being immersed in basketball for three months there, you’re itching to get back to it,” he said. “You’re seeing things on a daily basis that you like and don’t like, what you could implement with a team. I missed it a great deal, and I’m excited to be back at it.”
Van Gundy’s last coaching job was with the Detroit Pistons were he held a dual role as the team’s president and said he’s excited to be able to focus solely on coaching the team.
“Griff mentioned the other day me watching a draft candidate and I started shaking – I’m not sure if that’s what I want to do,” he said with a laugh. “I’m really excited about being able to zero back in on our roster, developing the players that we have and getting our team to play the best basketball that we possibly can.
“That is one of the really exciting things for me coming back after this short layoff.”
Van Gundy said he’s excited to get to work with the Pelicans’ mix of young talent and veterans.
“It’s a team that has proven they can play with great pace, there’s incredible depth on the team, we have a lot of people that can shoot the ball, and then you’ve got two of the most unique young guys in the entire league,” he said. “Brandon Ingram, who’s the most improved player in the league. He’s one of those really tall, long guys who plays like a point guard, who can get to anywhere on the floor and score the ball, then, I don’t even know the comparison for Zion Williamson. He’s unique in the way he plays, but this is a guy coming off an injury for most of the year that was able to be extremely productive and efficient, there’s just not people like that. There’s a lot to build around there.”
Van Gundy is also very familiar with one Pelicans player, JJ Redick who he coached for five seasons in Orlando.
“I have a great deal of respect for him, and one of the things that he said to me, and probably the most important thing, is that, ‘We have great people on this team, these are all great people, there’s not one bad guy. You’re going to love coaching this team, Stan,’” he said. “And so that was meaningful to me because I know when JJ talks about someone being a great person, a great teammate, I know what his standards are, and they’re very high, so that was very meaningful to me.”