He is employed--see below. From what i understand Cheney will be coaching from an undisclosed location.
Saturday, December 8
Updated: December 9, 8:28 AM ET
Van Gundy quits; Cheney reportedly will finish season as Knicks coach
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Associated Press
PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Jeff Van Gundy resigned unexpectedly as head coach of the New York Knicks on Saturday, just as the team was playing its best basketball of the season.
The stunning decision came a day after Van Gundy angrily ended practice early because he thought his players lacked intensity. He said he had been considering resigning since the summer and finally decided to do so because he had "lost focus" as a coach.
"In my heart I knew what was right, but it was still a difficult decision to come to," Van Gundy said at the Knicks' practice facility.
"I didn't feel my focus was at its best. I didn't want to hurt our team. I certainly don't regret the effort I put forth. I just think it's time to step back and let the team move on."
Van Gundy said he spoke with team president Scott Layden several times since the summer to express how he was feeling and that he decided Wednesday -- the day after a 14-point road victory over Milwaukee -- that he was going to quit.
He's the first NBA coach to resign or be fired this season.
"I'm going to step back and exhale for the first time in 13 years," Van Gundy said. "When I told my daughter today, she said: 'Does this mean you get to have lunch with me?' So that's cool."
Van Gundy told the players of his decision at their morning shootaround.
Jeff Van Gundy led the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999.
"We were all shocked. I didn't see this coming at all," guard Mark Jackson said.
Van Gundy took the Knicks to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons, including a trip to the 1999 NBA Finals and two trips to the Eastern Conference finals.
Assistant Don Chaney coached New York to a 101-99 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
At first it was announced that Chaney would take the reins for only Saturday's game at the Garden, but the New York Daily News reports that Chaney will coach the Knicks the rest of the season, with an announcement coming today or Monday.
"Don will coach the game (Saturday) and we will inform you as to when we make a decision," Layden said. "We're going to answer those questions in due time."
The Knicks won five of their last six games to move above .500 entering Saturday's game.
The 39-year-old Van Gundy had been a member of the Knicks' staff since 1989, serving as an assistant under Pat Riley, Don Nelson and Stu Jackson.
Van Gundy's only other head coaching job was at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, N.Y.
He leaves as the third-winningest coach in team history with a record of 248-172, including 10-9 this season, his seventh. |
