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There was no official word from the Pelicans,
but Van Gundy confirmed the reports on social media.
"I'm excited to join a talented New Orleans Pelicans team," he
posted on Twitter. "It will be an honor to work with our players
and to work for Mrs. Benson and David Griffin, Trajan Langdon,
their staff and the great people of New Orleans. I can't wait to
talk to our players and get the process started."
The reports come one day after the Indiana Pacers came to terms
with former Toronto Raptors assistant Nate Bjorkgren on their
vacant head coaching position.
The Pelicans met with Van Gundy, 61, last week for the head
coaching position that was vacant after the team fired Alvin
Gentry in August.
New Orleans lost six of eight games in the bubble to finish the
season with a 30-42 record, good for 13th in the Western
Conference.
The Pelicans' coaching vacancy, however, is intriguing thanks to
young talent such as 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson,
20, and NBA Most Improved Player Brandon Ingram, 23. New Orleans
also has the 13th overall selection in the upcoming 2020 NBA
Draft.
Van Gundy has 12 years of experience as a head coach: three
years in Miami, five in Orlando and four in Detroit. His most
successful run came with the Magic, whom he led to a 259-135
mark from 2007-12 while guiding the team to the playoffs each
season. The 2008-09 Magic advanced to the NBA Finals.
Overall, Van Gundy is 523-384 in his career with eight playoff
appearances in his 12 seasons. His last season was 2017-18, when
he led the Pistons to a 39-43 record. Van Gundy was also
president of basketball operations in Detroit.
--Field Level Media
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