The Rockets began their search for a successor to coach Rudy Tomjanovich in Dallas by reaching out toward Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Dunleavy, sources close to the search said Sunday.

The initial calls might not indicate priorities, because the Rockets have not received permission to talk with other coaches under contract. But they received permission from the Knicks to speak with Van Gundy, who is under contract with New York until July 31. The Rockets also made calls to set up an interview with Dunleavy.

"I haven't met with him yet. He's been pretty busy," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said of Van Gundy. "We haven't had a chance to sit down and talk with him. We're in no hurry. We haven't really established a timetable for this (filling the vacancy). We're just starting this.

"Everybody else seems more anxious than we are to get this thing going. We (Dawson and owner Leslie Alexander) are going to talk about everything before we meet with anyone. ... We haven't had time to sit down and discuss anything yet. When we talk, then we're going to get to work."