Fansided

Warriors contact Stan Van Gundy for coaching position

By Trisity Miller

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Stan Van Gundy
Apr 24, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob reacts after a call against the Los Angeles Clippers during the fourth quarter of game three of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 98-96. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

According to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the Golden State Warriors have reached out to Stan Van Gundy as they look to fill their vacant head coaching position:

"The Golden State Warriors contacted Stan Van Gundy about their head-coaching vacancy on Wednesday, a source told Yahoo Sports.The former Orlando Magic and Miami Heat coach has interest in the Warriors’ opening, but an interview has yet to be set up. Golden State fired head coach Mark Jackson on Tuesday after three seasons and two playoff appearances. Van Gundy’s interest also speaks to the attractiveness of the Warriors’ job. He has not shown interest in coaching openings with the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, a source said.via Warriors contact Stan Van Gundy about coaching vacancy | Yahoo Sports!"

After several names have been mentioned with the Golden State Warriors in the last few days as they’ve looked to replace Mark Jackson, Steve Kerr, Lionel Hollins, and Mike D’Antoni being some of those names, the best available coach is now a possibility to lead the team after a first-round exit.

For the last few years, Stan Van Gundy has been the hottest coaching commodity, but he’s expressed little interest to actually coach again, at least for a team that wasn’t prime to contend upon his arrival. But the Golden State Warriors are a different animal than the teams he’s declined the past few years. With a core of Stephen Curry, Andre Igoudala and Andrew Bogut, this is a top-5 team in a loaded Western Conference. Adding Stan Van Gundy, a clear upgrade over the previous head coach in Mark Jackson, to the equation could be the difference maker the front office is looking for as they hope to contend for a NBA championship while the core is still young.

Teams prefer to have a coaching staff ready before the NBA Draft. It’s early and the Warriors may just be crowdsourcing  at the moment, but if the feelings are mutual between both parties, SVG could be headed West to continue his career as a NBA coach.