There are rumblings around the league that the Boston Celtics could replace Charles Lee on next year’s coaching staff with a beloved former New York Knicks head coach.
Heading into the NBA games today, the Celtics are in the final stages of preparation for Game 1 of their NBA Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks. While the organization is very much focused on bringing the city an eighteenth NBA title, the franchise has elements looking ahead to the summer and next season.
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Win or lose, there are sure to be tweaks to the team for 2024-25, but there is one particular spot they already know they will have to fill. After spending one season with the organization, Charles Lee is now set to get his first head coach job when he takes over the bench for the Charlotte Hornets following the finals. There are sure to be many coaches interested in the opening but the Celtics may have a fantastic in-house option.
- Jeff Van Gundy record: 430-318, 11 seasons
On Monday, veteran NBA insider Marc Stein claimed “Curiosity is already circulating in coaching circles about Boston exploring the prospect of [Jeff] Van Gundy moving onto the bench as a day-to-day assistant to Joe Mazzulla.”
The former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets coach was brought on as a consultant for the organization this season. He has been linked with several coaching jobs since leaving Houston nearly two decades ago, however, he preferred to focus on his job with ESPN instead of returning to the bench. But with his tenure with the sports network done it could open the door to finally going back to the coaching ranks next season.
The man who helped lead the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999 has a career record of 430-318.
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