Former Knicks head coach and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy told The Post’s Justin Terranova the Knicks are legitimate playoff contenders and that could help them land LeBron James. And he talks about what move by Mike D’Antoni turned the Knicks’ season around.
Q: After the 1-9 start, what has been the key to the Knicks’ turnaround?
A: They slowed the pace a little bit, so they are playing a more conventional pace — not up and down as much — which seems like it fits their personnel well. It’s easier to play better defense when you slow the pace, too. They have tightened the rotation and Mike D’Antoni has done an outstanding job adjusting to the personnel that he has. That’s not the way he would rather play basketball, but he’s figured a way for them to win and win consistently. And to me it is not fluke. They are playing real well right now.
Q: So you believe the Knicks can sustain this level of play?
A: Well, I don’t know if they can win two out of every three like they were for awhile, but they can certainly play winning basketball. They don’t have a lot of margin for error from a talent standpoint, but if they stay relatively healthy then I think they can. I think the Knicks have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs.
Q: What should be more important for the Knicks — giving playing time to the rookies so they develop and showcasing a player like Eddy Curry or should simply winning games be the goal?
A: It seems like 90 percent of the people that follow the team are more worried about what happens next summer as opposed to this season. That’s a very difficult situation to keep your players invested in the process. But when you win like they are now, it helps your free-agent prospects.
Q: What’s your take on how D’Antoni handled the Nate Robinson situation?
A: It would have been easy for him not to bench Robinson because no one would have questioned that. But he sits him — and no one wants to tell this part of the story — and they won. And then they won when he brought him back. To me, that move paid dividends twice.
Q: You recently said that LeBron James will stay in Cleveland next season. Why do you think that?
A: I said that at the time, but my take on it now is that he knows what he is going to do, but no one else does. He knows he is going to get max money wherever he goes. There’s not many factors that are going to change over the next six months.