Van Gundy calls 'stupid decision' to resign from Knicks 'something I regret to this day'
By MARC RAIMONDI
Jeff Van Gundy resigned from the Knicks nearly 12 years ago and he hasn’t gotten over what he calls a “stupid decision.”
Van Gundy defended Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who ESPN personality Bill Simmons said quit on the Boston Celtics, by bringing his own experience into play Friday on ESPN Radio. Van Gundy said Rivers didn’t quit – but he did.
“I know what quitting is – I did it,” Van Gundy said on “The Michael Kay Show.” “It’s something I regret to this day. I live with it every day and I regret it. And I let my emotions come into it and I was just emotionally spent. I made a bad decision.”
The previous season, the Knicks lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Raptors, a series in which star Marcus Camby had to deal with the kidnapping of his sister. Before the 2001-02 season, Patrick Ewing was traded and Larry Johnson retired. Van Gundy, who now works as an ESPN broadcaster, said there were a multitude of reasons for being unhappy, but “not one thing I can point to.”
“The frustrations were real, but it was certainly an overreaction,” he said. “I’m the only one to blame for that, because I had a great, great job and I left it voluntarily. And, like I said, I still regret it.”
Van Gundy stepped down Dec. 8, 2001, in the middle of the season, with the Knicks record at 10-9. He said he let things build up and “should have taken more time to come to a conclusion.” He praised then-general manager Scott Layden and owner Jim Dolan for being easy on coaches.
“Jim Dolan has gotten a lot of flack for his ownership,” Van Gundy said. “For a coach, he was good to work for. Like what [Nets owner Mikhail] Prokhorov is doing right now, Jim Dolan could give you all the resources you could possibly want to put a team together.”
The 51-year-old, who had talks with the Nets about their head coaching position this year, has a career record of 430-318. He spent four seasons with the Rockets before being fired in 2007.
After resigning from the Knicks, Van Gundy said he took a long walk near the team’s old practice facility in Purchase and bought a hot dog, which he said was delicious.
“That’s about all I got out of that stupid decision,” he said.
Read more: Van Gundy calls 'stupid decision' to resign from Knicks 'something I regret to this day'
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/knick...decision_23QNQ6jhUx3wqHIIxgeHZJ#ixzz2Xc2r1GIz
