Address Coaching
Another elephant in the room during Phil Jackson’s arrival in New York has been whether he would have a role in coaching, but it’s been debunked numerous times. With the exception of Mike Woodson, Carmelo doesn’t trust anyone in the organization (his coach is virtually the only person he has trust in outside of his teammates). Phil’s been giving all the impression that Coach Woodson is someone who he wants to lead the team and hasn’t ruled out the possibility of him returning next season.
Before Jackson became team president, Mike’s job had been up in the air on a day-to-day and performance basis multiple times throughout the year. Many coaches and writers have felt like he hasn’t been given fair treatment all year, due to a limited roster and multiple injuries throughout the season. Most people forget in Woodson’s first year as head coach of the team, he led the Knicks to a 50-win season and getting to the 2nd round of the playoffs; all being a first since their ’99 season.
What has hurt them this year is being 11 games under .500 in a very depleted and very weakened eastern conference, where many pre-season experts had them projected to be a top 5 team. Coming down to sidelines for home games or even hiring a former like Steve Kerr, who’s been rumored to takeover head coaching reigns are all possibilities. We’ll find out the Knicks immediate future when Melo makes his decision this summer and if they’ll have to find a lame duck coach.