Report: Jeff Van Gundy expected to be Rockets HC candidate

The Houston Rockets might turn to a familiar face in their search for Mike D'Antoni's successor.

Current ESPN analyst and former Rockets bench boss Jeff Van Gundy is expected to be a candidate for the club's head coaching vacancy, sources told The Athletic's Kelly Iko and Sam Amick.

Van Gundy led Houston to a 182-146 mark and three first-round playoff exits during his four-year tenure. He's better remembered for guiding the eighth-seeded New York Knicks to the NBA Finals during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 campaign.

Van Gundy has been linked to various openings in recent years and was reportedly a finalist when the Rockets hired D'Antoni in 2016.

Although the 58-year-old Van Gundy hasn't coached in the NBA since 2007, he has remained active with USA Basketball. He guided the Americans to a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup and successfully managed a group of journeymen players to help the United States clinch a berth at last year's FIBA World Cup.

Van Gundy still lives in the Houston area more than a decade after his firing.