Mavs Get In Touch With Jeff Van Gundy About Assistant Role

Van Gundy was among the multitude of ESPN layoffs made known last week. He spent 16 years alongside play-by-play man Tim Breen and fellow analyst Mark Jackson on the network’s top in-game team.

Van Gundy, however, indicated he’s not yet ready to return to the bench when approached by the Mavericks, per Stein.

Dallas has indeed added several assistants this offseason already — from former Jazz assistant Alex Jensen to former Suns assistant Bryan Gates to former Cavaliers assistant Josh Broghamer.

Van Gundy, 61, is a former head coach of the Rockets and Knicks, and seemingly has been a candidate for head-coaching vacancies every year since. He last coached in the NBA with New York in 2006-07.

He was the coach of the Knicks when they went to the Finals in 1999, becoming the only No. 8 seed to win a conference title until the Heat repeated the feat this past season.