The Portland Trail Blazers have asked for permission to interview Los Angeles Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy, a request that a national reporter said Thursday places him among the finalists for the franchise’s vacant head coaching job.
Van Gundy, who has not been a head coach since the 2006-07 season, brings a 430-318 career record and nine playoff appearances as a head coach; his Knicks reached the 1999 NBA Finals. He spent 16 years as a broadcaster with before joining the Clippers’ staff for the past two seasons.
The coaching search took on sharper focus this week because of what Tiago Splitter accomplished as interim coach this past season. Splitter went 42-39, led the Trail Blazers back to the playoffs and ultimately lost in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs — a turnaround that has kept his name in the mix even as outside candidates surface.
Chris Haynes reported Thursday that Van Gundy had emerged as one of the finalists after Portland sought permission to speak with the longtime NBA figure. The request signals the Blazers are weighing a veteran résumé against internal continuity: Van Gundy’s long record as a head coach and recent work on the Clippers’ staff versus Splitter’s 42-39 finish and playoff berth in the interim role.
Adding to the uncertainty, Jake Fischer reported Tuesday that, “after initial pessimism regarding Splitter’s chances of becoming [Chauncey] Billups’ full-time replacement, there were whispers circulating Monday that it can no longer be ruled out,” a development that leaves the organization with competing narratives — hire a tested, veteran leader or reward the interim coach who delivered results.
The list of apparent candidates is not limited to Van Gundy and Splitter. Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori is also viewed as a potential candidate, underscoring that Portland’s front office is balancing external experience, internal momentum and varying coaching philosophies.
The tension is vivid: Van Gundy’s head-coaching résumé is unmistakable — two multi-year stints leading the New York Knicks from 1995-96 through 2001-02 and the Houston Rockets from 2003-04 through 2006-07 produced a 430-318 mark and nine postseason trips — but he has not held a head coach title in nearly two decades. Splitter, by contrast, has immediate track record in Portland, the 42-39 ledger and a playoff appearance this past season.
Portland’s permission request to interview Van Gundy signals the franchise wants to test what a veteran voice would bring to a roster that responded to Splitter’s interim management. Talk of jeff van gundy returning to a lead-coach role has already stirred debate among fans and within the building about style, experience and direction.
What happens next is straightforward and decisive: the Blazers will conduct interviews and weigh offers, with the franchise’s choice likely to hinge on whether ownership prizes Van Gundy’s long head-coaching record and playoff pedigree over the continuity and recent success Splitter represents. That judgment will determine whether Portland pursues an external veteran or promotes the coach who guided the team back to the postseason.
