NBA Rumors: Jeff Van Gundy is finalist, front-runner for Houston Rockets job

Jeff Van Gundy may very well have his second opportunity to coach the Houston Rockets, as he appears as the front-runner for the vacant head coaching gig.

According to basketball insider Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, the Houston Rockets may have found their next head coach in former head coach Jeff Van Gundy. Not only does Van Gundy appear to be a finalist for the Rockets’ gig, but he may actually be the front-runner for the head coaching vacancy.

Woelfel also Tweeted out on Friday that Houston does plan to have a new head coach in place by the end of next week. Houston had rolled with interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff after canning Kevin McHale very early in the 2015-16 NBA season.

While it has been several years since Van Gundy led an NBA team, he does have the respect of many in the game for his impressive resume leading the New York Knicks and later the Rockets. Van Gundy has been an important part of the NBA in recent years as a color commentator for ESPN’s nationally broadcast games.

Though Van Gundy did a solid job his first time around in Houston, he will absolutely have a different cast of characters this go around if he is hired by the Rockets. Van Gundy’s teams in Houston were built around two often-injured stars in shooting guard Tracy McGrady and center Yao Ming.

Now he will likely inherit an elite, albeit aloof scoring sensation in multi-time All-Star shooting guard James Harden. Harden’s 2015-16 Rockets were one of the most disgruntled teams in the NBA. Can Van Gundy come in and get the Rockets back to playing at a championship caliber level like they did in 2014-15?

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