The Post Reports Mike Woodson On The Hot Seat, Dolan Says He Wouldn't Rule Out Jeff Van Gundy
NY Post - The expiration date on owner James Dolan’s recent vote of confidence for coach Mike Woodson is approaching, according to sources. While Woodson will coach the Knicks when they play the Nets on Thursday, it is unclear how much longer Dolan will allow this losing streak to go on. It has reached nine straight defeats and the team’s mental instability has become an issue. Dolan is obsessed with the Brooklyn franchise and a blowout loss could trigger changes — whether via trade or a coaching move. Dolan sat down with The Post’s Mike Vaccaro on Nov. 19 before the Knicks played in Detroit and voiced his support for Woodson, but the Knicks have lost seven straight games since. “I have a lot of confidence in Woodson, and one thing I can say about Mike is he has the respect of all the players,’’ Dolan told The Post in that interview. “They all respect him. And he treats them fairly and relatively equally, and that’s part of where the respect emanates from. And those are hard things to get from a coach. When a coach loses a team, that’s when a coach is kind of done.’’ The Post has also learned that if Dolan eventually makes a move, old enemy and ex-Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy would not be ruled out as a future candidate — though such a hire seems more sensible in the offseason if Dolan goes with an interim coach. The Post has also learned that if Dolan eventually makes a move, old enemy and ex-Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy would not be ruled out as a future candidate — though such a hire seems more sensible in the offseason if Dolan goes with an interim coach.
Oh lucky Jeff Van Gundy! James Dolan is considering him. What a joke that is. Its a joke by the Post running that like its a big deal, too. Like Barstool Sports is reporting Dolan also won’t rule out Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich. Dolan is going to grace these guys with permission to coach the dumpster fire that is the New York Knicks.
Lets get one thing straight – Mike Woodson ain’t the problem. I don’t love him. He’s stubborn as fuck. His lineup choices and his old school rules have bothered me in the past. But its not like everything else is clicking and the one piece of the puzzle missing is the right head coach. With the mess the Knicks are trotting out there right now, it wouldn’t matter who was on the sidelines. The bottom line with the Knicks is this:
They pushed their chips into the middle with Carmelo and Amare. And that just ain’t a winning recipe.
Their window was basically dependent upon Amare being competitive. They basically doubled down with Carmelo and hoped that would be their superstar duo. When that failed and they didn’t play an ounce of defense, they went with a max contract band aid in the form of Tyson Chandler. Its just not a lineup that can compete with teams like Miami, Indiana, San Antonio, OKC, and now even Portland. Doesn’t matter who’s at the helm with that sort of talent discrepancy.
Whats really the sickest part of all is the Knicks are right in the thick of things. They are 3-13 and are 3 games out of first place in the Atlantic. Behind the fucking Toronto Rapters. There are fucking TWO teams above .500 in the East, Miami and Indy, and the Wizards are right at 9-9. Like I just said, they don’t have a talented enough team to go toe to toe with the big guns, but the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference is so goddam bad they are technically right in the hunt. Its almost a bad thing, if you ask me. I want this team to bottom out, let Melo walk, and reboot when everyone comes off the books after next season. Maybe in the meantime Dolan will sell the team or drop dead or something. Maybe the team will get a real GM. And then they can start fresh. But they’ll probably tweak things here and there with Woodson and a player or 2 and make a futile, pointless playoff push. The New York Knicks! The Jets of the NBA!