Flopping, free throws and sacrificing body parts: The wit and wisdom of Jeff Van Gundy

Van Gundy certainly doesn’t shy away from telling it like it is and he’s quick to offer his opinions on the issues he feels are affecting the game.

On flopping:

“It just ruins the game. I can’t believe with all the brilliance we have in the NBA offense that we can’t find a way to eliminate this part of the game, or at least even start to punish it … I’m just sick of it, and I can’t believe that the NBA office isn’t sick of it too.”

[Van Gundy proved to be a soothsayer here, as the league will now start fining players for flopping.]

On the abuse officials get from players:

"It's out of control how some of these guys talk to the officials. I don't understand why the officials take what they take. And I don't understand the inequality of what they take being dependent on a certain player. I don't think it's right."

On ways to shorten the length of games:

In addition to making halftime just five minutes long, Van Gundy said if he were in charge, he would “eliminate free throws until the final four minutes of the game. So if you’re fouled in the penalty, you’d just get the two points. If you’re fouled in active shooting, you’d get the two points or three points until the final four minutes of the game.”

On players playing hurt:

“It’s just so funny to me in the media how certain guys, when they play well, are cut slack for whatever issues may have occurred and other guys [aren’t]…Like when Steph Curry was in the Finals, every time he missed a shot it was because of his ankle and every time he made a shot it was heroic for overcoming [his] ankle. To me, if you’re out there, you’re healthy enough. And you should be judged on your performance.”

On teams resting star players:

“Once again the fans are told, you don’t matter. Pay us up front, we’ll take your money and then we’ll give you whatever product we want to.”

On what he would’ve given up for success as a coach:

“I don’t think people understand the pain that is involved when you’re not getting the results you want … I would sacrifice some body parts … How valuable are toes? For a 10-game winning streak? Alright, you can have one or two.”

We all need more Jeff Van Gundy in our lives, so whether as a play-by-play man, coach or just podcast pontificator, hopefully he’ll continue to grace us with his opinions for years to come.