5 reasons Jeff Van Gundy isn’t a perfect fit for Houston Rockets

5. Has Van Gundy been away from the game far too long?

Time has flown by, but it’s still hard to believe that it has been almost a decade since the venerable head coach Van Gundy has led an NBA team. He last worked for the 2006-07 Rockets after four years with the club.

Van Gundy is still very much involved in the game today, as a noted color commentator for ESPN’s NBA telecasts. However, the game that was played in the NBA a decade ago is exponentially different from the game Van Gundy coached in from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s.

The ultra-physical defensive style of both his New York Knicks and Rockets teams may not translate into the pace and space era of the NBA. Yes, Van Gundy is a strong enough of a tactician to win sluggish basketball games in the manner of the Grit N’ Grind Memphis Grizzlies, but even now Memphis is handicapped by not having a strong offensive game from three-point land.

Not that Van Gundy will try to sign players that were good back in 2006-07 to fill out his Houston roster, but to jump back into the head coaching fold for a team that is still very much playoff caliber could prove to be too big of an adjustment for Van Gundy to make in the onset.

Is Houston is win-now mode? Well, the Rockets certainly aren’t in rebuilding mode, which could prove problematic to Van Gundy and his new staff if the Rockets stumble in the early part of 2016-17. If Van Gundy wants to get back into head coaching this fall, he’s probably better suited to go to a team that is clearly in rebuilding mode than a team with realistic playoff aspirations.

Next: 4. Can Van Gundy mesh with analytical Daryl Morey?