NYK '14 offseason thread

What ninja turtle are you?

  • A. Raphael (the gritty one)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • B. Michaelangelo (silly one)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • C. Leonardo (the leader)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • D. Donatello (The smart one)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
He wouldn't let Melo wear his headband doe

Lol, but I think he could make the team a winner. Maybe even let them run from time to time, I bet Shump would be a beast if they could speed the game up , just a little.
I mean Scott Skiles couldn't be any worse than Woodson that's for sure. He would find a way to improve our defense just through schemes alone and could probably do better with offensive plays.
 
well even though woody called his players out and didnt get fired have to roll with what we got and the 1 good thing is chandler is back :D but other key guys are injured :{ so ya gots to change the lineup until everyone come back like kenyon, amare, felton and priggs. but i expect them to still be competitive regardless :{

udrich, murray (and he can start if he plays well)
shump, jr
ron/thjr
melo
chandler/bargs
 
[h1]It's Go Time: Knicks Should Fire Coach[/h1][h2]Woodson's Style is Not the Best Fit for Team He Has[/h2]

By  
CHRIS HERRING

Updated Dec. 17, 2013 10:24 p.m. ET

The Knicks have suffered defeat in a variety of ways in their 17 losses this season. There were the ugly 30- and 40-point drubbings at home. And the team has endured a handful of losses that weren't particularly close, but weren't blowouts, either.

Then there was Monday's eyebrow-raising loss to Washington, which—for all the game-altering mistakes the Knicks committed in the closing stages—wasn't all that different than so many others the team has already lost.

And more than anything, the team's predictable late-game paralysis is why it might be better off without coach Mike Woodson at this point.

Woodson has received considerable criticism for the team's one-point loss to the Wizards, in which New York botched its final defensive possession, then failed to burn one of its three timeouts to secure a better game-ending shot than Carmelo Anthony's 25-foot heave.

Enlarge Image
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New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson Getty Images

But the end-of-game failure was nothing new. Of the team's 24 contests this season, half have been separated by three points or fewer going into the final three minutes of play. The Knicks have posted an NBA-worst 3-9 mark in such situations, according to NBA.com. Even the Knicks' three close wins—over Atlanta, Chicago and Milwaukee—felt like losses: The team blew leads of 15, 23 and 25 points, respectively, in those games before barely holding on in the end.

To his credit, Woodson has accepted blame for the Washington, and for much of this disappointing season, even though some of it has been outside his control. The injury-riddled club hasn't ever been at full strength. J.R. Smith was serving a suspension when Tyson Chandler fractured his leg, Raymond Felton was never 100%, and now the team figures to be without Pablo Prigioni (toe), Kenyon Martin (abdominal strain) and Amar'e Stoudemire (knee) for at least the next few games.

And it would be shortsighted to say that Woodson hasn't been good for this team at times. With his help, the Knicks overachieved in 2012-13, winning 54 games—the most in 13 seasons—and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals.

But this year's Knicks have been historically bad considering the expectations. In the past 25 years, only one team—the 1996-97 Pacers—has failed to finish .500 after returning its top five scorers and coach from a 50-win team, according to Stats LLC.

It is hard to pinpoint if and when the 55-year-old's coaching instincts—which favor a traditional, punishing style over the small-ball lineups with which the Knicks have thrived—were ever the reason for the Knicks' success. The team suffered in last season's playoffs against Indiana when he panicked by going away from the team's two point-guard lineup, an alignment he's used only sparingly this season even though it produced a 40-16 record over the past two seasons.

For all the roster's flaws, it is talented enough to win when it launches three-pointers and forces turnovers. But Woodson, citing bigger, stronger opponents this season, has said smaller lineups are a last resort, as if the team isn't already fighting to stay relevant. And he's continued the Knicks' costly switching strategy on defense, even though it doesn't fit the team's slow-footed personnel.

Worse, the Knicks are often ill-prepared to play, which has been evident in their getting blasted by 16 points per 48 minutes in the first quarters of games this season. That suggests one of three things, none of which are good: Woodson is being out-schemed by his counterparts; Knick players are coming out of the gate with a lack of fire; or the team's starting lineups are too flawed to compete.

Despite owner James Dolan's fantasy, the Knicks were never championship-caliber. No team has ever fallen more than three games below .500 and then gone on to win a title, let alone 10 games under like this club is.

And while the Knicks may be a poor team—they have gone just 4-4 against the easiest schedule in the league in the past two weeks—they could still make the playoffs thanks to the weak state of the Eastern Conference.

But things will need to come together for that to happen, and they're only getting worse. The perception that Woodson has the respect of the players seemed to take a hit this past week, when a report surfaced that Woodson had a run-in with Smith, an issue the coach declined to discuss with reporters.

Regardless of how well he gets along with his players, it is debatable how well he manages them, and whether he does so in a way that is conducive to the organization's future.

Asked last week whether the fragile Amar'e Stoudemire would have suited up for a fourth game in five nights if the team has a winning record, Woodson, in a rare candid comment, said, "Probably not." Now, after having played a fifth game in seven nights, Stoudemire is out for an undetermined period with knee soreness—a predictable outcome.

Beyond that, Anthony, the superstar the organization is hoping to keep when he opts out of his deal this coming summer, is logging an NBA-high 39.2 minutes per game—something Woodson himself has acknowledged is a risk, but one he'd understandably take if his job is in jeopardy.

At this point, it is unclear why anyone would expect Woodson to be able to repair things. Much like his team in the closing stages of games, he hasn't shown the instincts to come through when it matters most.

[h4]Madison Square Hot Seat[/h4]
Here's a look at the Knicks' last 10 coaches and how they fared.
coachstartedRecordWIN%Playoff REc.Fate
Mike Woodson201279-51.6087-10?
Mike D'Antoni2009121-167.4200-4Resigned, 2012
Isiah Thomas200656-108.3410-0Fired, 2008
Larry Brown200523-59.2800-0Fired, 2006
Herb Williams2004, 200517-27.3860-0Interim
Lenny Wilkens200440-41.4940-4Resigned, 2005
Don Chaney200272-112.3910-0Fired, 2004
Jeff Van Gundy1996248-172.59037-32Fired, 2002
Don Nelson199534-25.5760-0Fired, 1996
Pat Riley1991223-105.68035-28Resigned, 1995
 
 
Woodson has nowhere further to take us, sorry but he has to go. My only prob is I doubt any Knicks staff has the vision to pick a proper coach.
 
The players still believe and have love for each other. Thats what matters most. They're starting to lose their trust for Woodson though.

We dont need a "motivator" type coach, we need an Xs and Os coach.
 
Smh at the split between us

I can't believe anyone voted no against hess trucks
 
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[h1]  [/h1]

[h4]Madison Square Hot Seat[/h4]
Here's a look at the Knicks' last 10 coaches and how they fared.
coachstartedRecordWIN%Playoff REc.Fate
Mike Woodson201279-51.6087-10?
Mike D'Antoni2009121-167.4200-4Resigned, 2012
Isiah Thomas200656-108.3410-0Fired, 2008
Larry Brown200523-59.2800-0Fired, 2006
Herb Williams2004, 200517-27.3860-0Interim
Lenny Wilkens200440-41.4940-4Resigned, 2005
Don Chaney200272-112.3910-0Fired, 2004
Jeff Van Gundy1996248-172.59037-32Fired, 2002
Don Nelson199534-25.5760-0Fired, 1996
Pat Riley1991223-105.68035-28Resigned, 1995
 
 
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