Phil Jackson is now on the clock. The same can be said of John Calipari and perhaps even Jeff Van Gundy.
But for now, the Knicks head coaching job is Mike Woodson‘s to lose after Mike D’Antoni sent the organization into a state of turmoil early Wednesday when he abruptly stepped down amid a six-game skid. D’Antoni was also losing his grip on the locker room, specifically All-Star small forward Carmelo Anthony.
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The Woodson era began with a bang Wednesday night as the Knicks erased the Portland Trail Blazers, 121-79.
The Knicks, according to a high-ranking official, were “caught off guard” when D’Antoni met with GM Glen Grunwald and assistant GM Allan Houston before the team’s morning shootaround in Greenburgh, N.Y. When D’Antoni informed the Knicks that he was considering resigning, Dolan was called and met with the coach at the training center.
KNICKS TAKE BLAZERS TO WOOD-SHED AFTER D’ANTONI RESIGNS
The same source says that D’Antoni, who is in the final year of his contract, asked for an extension just as he had over the summer, but was again denied. It was at that time that the two sides decided to, in Dolan’s words, “mutually” part ways after 31/2 seasons. Two of D’Antoni’s assistants, his brother Dan and Phil Weber, were relieved of their duties.
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“This was not an event that was planned really in any way,” said Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden. “It just happened. We had a very honest discussion. He clearly felt that was best for the organization if he were to not continue as the coach of the team.”
D’ANTONI RESIGNS AS KNICKS COACH
Dolan hinted that D’Antoni asked for an extension when he said during a press conference Wednesday night before the Knicks-Blazers game that D’Antoni “did offer to stay.”
“After a long discussion we agreed that it was best for the team to have a new voice moving forward,” Dolan added. “Mike has been a big part of the Knicks for four years now, during a period of rebuilding and transition. He played a very big role in everything that we did. He’s a class act, a true professional. I have great respect for his commitment and his honesty and I’ve appreciated his years of service and his desire to do what’s best for the organization.”
Dolan will now be looking for his sixth coach since Van Gundy stepped down in December of 2001. Jackson is the biggest name available, but there are already concerns within the organization that the 66-year-old Hall of Fame coach who played for Red Holzman in New York no longer wants to coach. In fact, the Knicks are worried that Jackson, who has health issues, may be interested in taking the job only because he would command a salary upwards of $10 million annually.
Calipari, the Kentucky coach, has already used his Twitter account to say that he’s happy in Lexington. With the NCAA Tournament underway, you wouldn’t expect him to say anything different. But Calipari, who coached the Nets from ’96-99, is regarded as an effective presence and he is represented by CAA, the agency that helped broker the deal to bring Anthony to New York.
Van Gundy’s name surfaced four years ago before Donnie Walsh hired D’Antoni. No candidate would be better at dealing with New York, but whether Dolan would sign off on such a move is another story.
However, two years ago Dolan reached out to Van Gundy on the Garden court while the broadcaster was working for ESPN. It doesn’t make them best friends, but they are at least on speaking terms.
Dolan was not happy to learn that D’Antoni was not in favor of acquiring Anthony from Denver. When the Knicks were swept in the first round by Boston and Walsh was removed from power, D’Antoni’s day were all but numbered.
D’Antoni, who finished at 121-167, appeared to be on the firing line until Jeremy Lin emerged from out of nowhere and led the Knicks to seven straight wins. However, once Anthony returned from injury, the Knicks began losing and D’Antoni started to distance himself from Anthony.
Three weeks ago, D’Antoni publicly denied that it was Anthony who suggested that Lin get a chance, embarrassing the forward. In recent days, D’Antoni suggested that Lin should be the focus of the offense. There was even an Internet report on Wednesday that D’Antoni wanted Dolan to trade Anthony to the Nets for Deron Williams.
