Washington (AFP)
Stan Van Gundy has been appointed to coach the New Orleans Pelicans, he himself announced on Twitter on Wednesday.
“I am very happy to join the New Orleans Pelicans team,” he tweeted.
"It will be an honor to work with our players. I look forward to talking to them and getting the process started," he added.
At 61, Van Gundy, known in the United States for being one of the voices of basketball on the NBC network both in radio and television, replaces Alvin Gentry, dismissed in August after having coached the Pelicans for 5 seasons.
Van Gundy coached the Miami Heat from 2003 to December 2005. In 2007 he took the reins of the Orlando Magic to lead them to the NBA Finals before joining the Detroit Pistons as president and coach of the 'team until May 2018. He has in the past shown that he knew how to set up solid defenses in the teams for which he was responsible.
His personal stats are excellent with 523 wins for 384 losses, although his time in Detroit is considered mixed.
In total, he spent 31 years as a basketball coach, including 12 years as a head coach in the NBA, just like his brother Jeff, who also became a TV commentator.
The Pelicans are a young team led by star Zion Williamson.
The latter had a difficult season after knee surgery which caused him to miss 44 matches.
The franchise ended the season with 30 wins and 42 losses.
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