Knicks fire Mike Woodson as Head Coach, Phil Jackson Assures "Change"

Knicks fire head coach Woodson as Phil Jackson promises change

AP

Rocky Widner / NBAE

Mike Woodson compiled a 109-79 record as Knicks head coach.

NEW YORK -- Mike Woodson had the +New York Knicks on top of their division and in the second round of the playoffs, destinations that had become unreachable and practically unimaginable in New York.

A year later, he was out of job.

Phil Jackson fired Woodson and the entire coaching staff on Monday, making his first big move since becoming team president in March and saying in a statement that "the time has come for change throughout the franchise."

The dismissal comes shortly after the Knicks completed a 37-45 season that began with their belief they were a serious contender.

Instead, they started poorly, making Woodson's job security practically a season-long distraction. A late surge wasn't good enough for a postseason spot or another year for Woodson.

It was a stunningly swift fall for Woodson, whose .580 winning percentage with the Knicks ranks behind only Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, and who finished third in the +NBA's Coach of the Year voting after going 54-28 last season.

He and the staff were informed of the decision Monday morning by Jackson, the man the Knicks originally wanted to replace Woodson as coach but preferred to run the team's front office.

Jackson has won an NBA-record 11 championships as a coach. He has repeatedly said he's not interested in returning to the bench, so he will have to hire someone before he turns his attention to the roster. The team said the coaching search begins immediately.

Jackson said he has a "tremendous amount of respect" for Woodson and his staff, which included longtime Knicks assistant Herb Williams. Jackson called this an "extremely difficult" season and said "blame should not be put on one individual."

"But the time has come for change throughout the franchise as we start the journey to assess and build this team for next season and beyond," he added.

Jackson has said he won't insist the Knicks run the triangle, the offensive system he used in +Chicago Bulls and with the +Los Angeles Lakers, but has made clear his belief in it. +TNT analyst Steve Kerr, who played for Jackson with the Bulls but has never been a coach, has repeatedly been mentioned as a top candidate.

Jackson was expected to speak with reporters later in the week.

Woodson, a former Knicks first-round draft pick, was hired as an assistant coach before the 2011-12 season, then engineered an 18-6 finish after replacing Mike D'Antoni on an interim basis the following March to capture a playoff spot. Given a multiyear deal two months later, Woodson then led the Knicks to their first Atlantic Division championship since 1994.

New York then beat Boston in the playoffs, its first series victory since 2000, and general manager Steve Mills picked up next season's option year on Woodson's contract before this season began.

But the Knicks were saddled with some early injuries, including center Tyson Chandler's broken leg, and lacked the veteran leadership they enjoyed last season. Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan was already considering replacing Woodson by December, when he met with Jackson at a holiday party and talked to him about coaching the team.

Carmelo Anthony praised his coach Thursday and even offered to back him publicly if necessary. But it was probably a clear sign Woodson wouldn't be back a few minutes later when Amare Stoudemire said the coach hadn't taken part in the exit meetings with players that Jackson and Mills held.

Woodson previously coached six seasons with the +Atlanta Hawks, leading them to the playoffs in his final three seasons. He has a career record of 315-365.

Woodson went 109-79 with the Knicks, who hadn't even made the playoffs since 2004 before he led them there in 2012. But he lost one of his biggest supporters within the organization when general manager Glen Grunwald, Woodson's college teammate at Indiana, was surprisingly fired last September.

Players and fans sometimes grumbled during the season about Woodson's strategies as the defense regressed and the offense was inconsistent beyond Anthony, who plans to become a free agent in July. Chandler said there probably was some "disconnect" and "misunderstanding" at times.

"Coach Woodson put together a game plan for us on the basketball court and there were times we didn't totally buy into it," Stoudemire said last week.

Still, the Knicks nearly rallied to make the playoffs by winning 16 of their final 21 games. But Woodson, who said he and Jackson had only brief chats in Jackson's first month in charge, said before the season finale he knew the coach often takes the blame.

"Everyone in this franchise owes a great deal of gratitude to what Mike and his staff have done," Jackson said. "We wish him the best."

Lakers Drop 51 in 3rd, Crush the Knicks in LA 127 - 96

LAKERS DROP 51 IN 3RD QUARTER, 

BLAST KNICKS 127-96

By GREG BEACHAM

Los Angeles Lakers center Robert Sacre dunks during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Tuesday, March 25, 2014, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With Knicks President Phil Jackson watching from a luxury suite high above the court, his new team's teetering playoff hopes got a big shove from his old team's incredible offensive show.

Xavier Henry scored 22 points, Nick Young hit five 3-pointers while scoring 20 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers set a franchise record with 51 points in the third quarter of their 127-96 victory over New York on Tuesday night.

Although the Lakers have 16 +NBA championships and a luminous list of former superstars, those teams never had a quarter to compare to the 12 magical minutes played after halftime by Los Angeles' current patchwork roster.

And no Knicks defense had ever given up 51 points in a quarter until this team did it in a key game for its postseason chase. New York dropped three games behind Atlanta for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Lakers forward Xavier Henry, right, dunks as Knicks guard Iman Shumpert defends during the
first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 25, 2014, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

"We hit shots all over the place," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It's infectious. When you start taking good shots, they start going in, and even the hard shots start going in."

Indeed, the Lakers hit 19 of their 26 shots with six 3-pointers, stretching an eight-point halftime lead to 30. Nine players contributed a field goal to the spree, led by nine points from Chris Kaman in his first game action in March.

"It feels good, but it only lasts one night," said Henry, who played exceptionally well with a torn ligament in his shooting wrist. "We've just got to be encouraged for the rest of the season from it."

Kent Bazemore scored 18 points as the Lakers won consecutive games for the first time in more than three weeks with a season-high 82 points from their reserves, including Henry and Young.

Jodie Meeks had four 3-pointers as Los Angeles finished one 3-pointer shy of the single-game club record during the Lakers' highest-scoring game of the season. Five players hit multiple 3-pointers, including three apiece for Henry and rookie Ryan Kelly.

Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points for the Knicks, who have lost two straight after an eight-game winning streak. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points and Amare Stoudemire had 16 in the +New York Knicks seventh straight road loss to the Lakers since 2007.

"At the end of the day, it's just individual pride," said J.R. Smith, who had 12 points. "You have to have pride in guarding your man, guarding the ball, and we just didn't have that the last three quarters."

The Knicks are assured of a losing season with their 42nd loss, and the Hawks have two games in hand in the playoff race. Those high stakes and Jackson's looming presence weren't enough to spur New York to a competent defensive performance.

"I thought we came out ready to play," New York coach Mike Woodson said. "I mean, we held them to 14 points in the first quarter, and then that second and third quarter, all hell broke loose. We just didn't have any answer for them from a defensive standpoint. I thought the plan was perfect starting the game, and when they went to their bench, they came out blazing and we just couldn't control them."

Jackson's fiancee, Lakers executive Jeanie Buss, watched from the second row. The 11-time NBA champion coach arrived late at the building where he won five titles with the Lakers, who declined to re-hire him early last season, infuriating much of their fan base.

With Pau Gasol sidelined by vertigo, Kaman had 13 points and nine rebounds as the Lakers' starting center. Steve Nash also sat out for the 17th time in the Lakers' last 18 games.

The Lakers missed 13 of their 18 shots in a 14-point first quarter, but rolled off a 22-4 run in 5½ minutes to open the second. Meeks and Jordan Hill then expanded the Lakers' lead with a 12-0 run early in the third before the Lakers really got rolling.

NOTES: Young converted a four-point play in the third quarter. He has six of the Lakers' nine four-point plays this season, both franchise records. ... Gasol will be re-examined Wednesday before the Lakers determine whether he will travel with them to Milwaukee and Minnesota this week. ... Metta World Peace, the former Knicks and Lakers forward, attended the game. New York waived the former Ron Artest on Feb. 24. He got a rousing ovation from the Staples Center crowd when he appeared on the scoreboard in the first half, and he sat in Jackson's box during the second half.