Jeff Van Gundy is leaving the Celtics for an assistant coaching position on the Los Angeles Clippers staff.
A report from Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe sheds some light on why Van Gundy isn’t staying with the Celtics.
“There were reports that Celtics senior consultant Jeff Van Gundy might replace associate head coach Charles Lee, who was hired to coach the Hornets,” Himmelsbach wrote. “But according to a league source, both sides agreed it would be best for Van Gundy to accept an offer to become the Clippers’ top assistant instead.
The Celtics are looking to promote from within, according to Himmelsbach, and it didn’t feel quite right to some of the decision-makers involved to promote Van Gundy over others who they felt were deserving.
The Celtics, the source said, were somewhat uneasy about the prospect of Van Gundy leapfrogging members of the coaching staff who had been instrumental in this championship season, and Van Gundy agreed,” Himmelsbach wrote. “But there is unanimous sentiment that Van Gundy was an invaluable sounding board for the young staff this season.”
Van Gundy joined the Celtics as a consultant in October and was visible at games and practices. He called the experience “great” and “rejuvenating” during an interview with Sirius XM.
It worked out well for the Celtics too, who won their first title since 2008.
