New York has been searching for their sixth coach in the past seven years.
The names that emerged as first candidates were former Bulls and Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau, former Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, along with several assistants from across the league, including 76ers assistant Ime Udoka and l Bulls assistant Chris Fleming.
However, another name on the list is former Knicks manager Mike Woodson, who helped lead the team in the best season with James Dolan in 2012-13.
That’s why it’s vital for Orange and Blue to give Woody another chance.
There’s not enough talk about how Mike Woodson was fired only after his second full season as head coach of the Knicks. While we have seen this trend in other New York hires in the recent past with Derek Fisher, Jeff Hornacek and David Fizdale, Woodson’s dismissal simply made no sense.
In his tenure as a coach with the Knicks, the Indiana product ended with impressive results (109-79), largely due to the 54-game season he posted in the aforementioned 2012-2013 campaign.
In the following season, the Knicks moved from the Eastern Conference 2nd seed to the 9th, going 37-45. While the record has been disappointing, there is a lot to consider that it was out of Woodson’s control.
For nearly an entire decade, the Knicks have failed to secure a coach for a long period of time. There are many routes that New York can take when it comes to finding the next one. They could take someone with playoff experience, take the opportunity on an assistant coach, etc.
However, I think the Knicks should give Mike Woodson a second chance. The 62-year-old led a team of Knicks to win a series of playoffs previously and gained the respect of at least the vast majority of his players; something that the last three full-time Knicks coaches have not been able to do.