Stan Van Gundy Not Dressing to Impress

ORLANDO -- The Eastern Conference final against the Cleveland Cavaliers hasn't even started yet, but Magic coach Stan Van Gundy already conceded one aspect of the series to Cavs Coach Mike Brown.

Van Gundy can't dress as well.

Van Gundy is one of the few no-tie coaches in the league, always trying to mix and match his collection of button down shirts and open collar looks. And he still finishes each game looking like he stepped out of a washing machine.

"I could go out and buy a $10,000 suit, and lot of other guys would buy a $200 suit, and they'd still look better than I do,'' Van Gundy said after Tuesday's practice. That's just the way it is when you look like me.''

Just so readers don't think anyone is picking on him and his looks, this conversation started with a question about his unorthodox style. We wondered why he was such an unpretentious-looking guy -- in a league filled with large egos -- even in front of a national television audience.

"Yes, my clothes are tailored, but they are tailored to this body. I know how I look. I'm aware of it. I have mirrors in my house,'' he said. "Sometimes this [line of questioning] gets a little overboard, and it gets personal. I know I'm not a great looking guy, but I don't need to read about it every day.''

Van Gundy has grown accustomed to people asking about his clothes, particularly after following the impeccably-dressed Pat Riley in Miami, then coming to Orlando to follow Brian Hill, who never coached a game without a tie and a nice looking suit.

"Guys like us, who don't have much of a neck, ties don't work really well,'' said Magic point guard Anthony Johnson. "So I understand where Stan is coming from. Dressing up is not a big thing with me. And it's definitely not for him. You have to work with what you have.''

Van Gundy was quick to point out, though, that he and his brother Jeff, the former Knicks coach turned broadcaster, were pictured in a men's magazine during games in which they were coaching.

"I was GQ, page 69 in the June issue. Look it up. Me and my brother. So go check it out,'' he said proudly. "So there, I am a GQ guy.''

Turns out, though, his picture is not in GQ, but in the June issue of Esquire Magazine, tiny photos of him and his brother, both in their coaching attire. It is under a headline that reads: "People Who Seem Like They've Been Drinking.''