Familiar faces back in coaching

Tuesday, June 10, 2003 | 9:30 a.m.

FROM SUN WIRE REPORTS

Nearly 18 months to the day after stunning the NBA by resigning as coach of the New York Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy accepted an offer to coach the Houston Rockets on Monday.

Van Gundy, whom the Rockets had courted for a week, telephoned Houston general manager Carroll Dawson on Monday to tell him that he wanted the job. The Rockets did not make an announcement because their lawyers were still negotiating the contract.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Hornets decided to give Tim Floyd a chance to prove he is a better coach than his disastrous NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls.

Floyd, whose 49-190 record with Chicago in just over three seasons left him with one of the lowest winning percentages in NBA history, reached an agreement with the Hornets on Monday.

Floyd said he will earn about $4.8 million in base salary over three years, plus incentives tied to playoff victories, but added, "I didn't get back into this for the money."

Hornets vice president Bob Bass has long said it would be unfair to judge Floyd -- a successful college coach -- by his experience in Chicago, where he had a young and often changing roster in the Bulls' post-Michael Jordan era.

In Houston, Dawson would not comment on the terms of Van Gundy's contract, but it is believed to be worth about $25 million over five years. He said he expected everything to be solidified and to hold a news conference announcing Van Gundy's hiring this week.

"I was very thrilled," Dawson said of receiving Van Gundy's telephone call. "He was very excited, and I was jumping up and down. My wife thought that I was crazy. You're looking at a happy guy."

Van Gundy, who resigned after nearly six seasons as Knicks coach on Dec. 8, 2001, is still under contract with the Knicks through July 31. Therefore, the Rockets had to compensate the Knicks for Van Gundy's services. Houston agreed to give the Knicks a future second-round draft pick, according to an Eastern Conference official. The year of the selection has not been determined.

Bob Johnson selected Bobcats over "Flight" and "Dragons," a source familiar with the process told the AP on Monday on condition of anonymity.

The dominant color in uniforms and logos will be orange and official team apparel will be in stores Wednesday.

The Celtics announced Monday that they will welcome the Cavs to their summer league at UMass-Boston from July 14-20. James, who is expected to go to Cleveland as the first pick in the NBA draft, will attend, general manager Jim Paxson said.