ESPN analyst and former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy chose not to call Wednesday's game between the Knicks and Chicago Bulls because of the rumors attaching his name to the Knicks' coaching job, currently held by Mike Woodson.
A source told USA Today Sports that Van Gundy and ESPN executives thought it best to give Van Gundy the night off to avoid any distractions during the broadcast. Van Gundy was mentioned as a possible replace for Woodson, who's 6-15 start has him on the hot seat.
"(The New York Post) has also learned that if (Knicks owner James) Dolan eventually makes a move, old enemy and ex-Knicks coach Jeff van Gundy would not be ruled out as a future candidate - though such a hire seems more sensible in the offseason if Dolan goes with an interim coach," Marc Berman of The Post wrote on Dec. 2.
Van Gundy, who's given no indication whether he's interested in returning to the sidelines, may have made things more awkward for himself in Madison Square Garden by bashing the Knicks' front office a few days after Berman's report.
"This isn't a coaching issue," Van Gundy said on Dec. 4 during an interview with ESPN radio, via The Post. "This is a roster issue. The absolute most important position on any professional team is the people in charge of picking the players.
"They have to be talented enough and fit together and have an intangible. It's a hard job but an important job. The last thing the Knicks have is a coaching issue."
Van Gundy doesn't address the jobs of coaches on the proverbial hot seat, believing the speculation to be unfair for any coach in that position to have to go through - like he did when he coached the Knicks.
The two latest names attached as potential successors to Woodson, if he were fired, are Knicks assistant general manager Allan Houston and Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.
