With coach Vinny Del Negro ousted from the Clippers head coaching position and chatter of Stan Van Gundy in communication with Dwight Howard, there could be a strong possibility that Van Gundy could be the next head coach for the L.A. Clippers.
Van Gundy is one of the top candidates for the position and in my opinion he is the second most qualified coach who encompasses the ability to lead the Clippers beyond the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Phil Jackson is the only other viable option and I highly doubt he will ever return unless he is coaching a championship caliber team.
Don’t get me wrong, Del Negro is a solid coach, unfortunately he doesn’t posses the qualities of a great coach. When I followed the Clippers during the regular season I didn’t think of them as a superior team with great coaching but more-so a group of talented players who had a good coach. Most would agree that the L.A. Clippers are one of the most talented teams in the league but there should be no excuse why they failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs over the past two seasons.
The Clippers are looking to get over the hump, simple as that. Who better to push the team beyond that boundary than a coach with a proven track record. Van Gundy has coached the Orlando Magic to several Eastern Conference finals not to mention an NBA Finals appearance in 2009. Van Gundy has publicly announced that he will not coach the 2013-2014 NBA season but I predict he will return to coach a playoff caliber team sooner than later. Is there a possibility he would return to coach a franchise like the Charlotte Hornets or the Milwaukee Bucks? I’d say no, but you better believe he would return to coach the Clippers or perhaps an up and coming Washington Wizards or Philadelphia 76ers team.
If anyone believes he will return to coach the Orlando Magic, one of the worst teams in the NBA, keep dreaming. I highly doubt he would return to Orlando after being treated like a step-child. The Magic rolled the dice in favor for Dwight Howard and crapped out twice. Not only did the Orlando Magic loose a great coach, the organization also lost their franchise player. Karma is a bitch.
Dwight Howard’s career with the Lakers has been lackluster at best and I’m sure he wishes he could click his shoes three times and magically return as a member of the Orlando Magic but that ship has long sailed. If there is anyone set to come out as the victor it would be Van Gundy – he has a great opportunity to rejuvenate his career by coaching a winning franchise, he will return.
2 Comments
Brian
May 21, 2013 at 11:43 pmI honestly don’t think Van gundy can coach at all . Maybe im wrong but he had such great talents as Rashard lewsi , Vince Carter Dwight Howard, and jj redick and still managed not to win a title
JR Williams
May 22, 2013 at 12:39 amIf you look at the way he was removed from coaching, (against his will), I can definitely foresee him returning in the near future. Dwight Howard was a major contributor in Van Gundy’s firing in Orlando.