The Mike Woodson Signing…
On Monday, the New York Knicks signed Mike Woodson, former head coach 0f the Atlanta Hawks, as Ass’t coach to Mike D’Antoni. Woodson spent six seasons with Atlanta,
reaching the playoffs three times. He was fired after being swept by Orlando in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semi-finals, in the most lopsided sweep in NBA history! During their series with the Magic, Atlanta lost by an obscene average of 25.3 points per game.
Woodson was the 12th overall pick of the Knicks in the 1980 draft. Out of Indiana, where he played with Isiah Thomas, he spent two years playing for New York, averaging just over 18 points per game. Clearly he was hired to improve the Knicks’ anemic defensive prowess. This is a team that was near the bottom of the league; allowing 105.7 points per game. Opposing teams feasted on the Knicks, shooting an average of 47.2%.
Although we think that his hiring was a good move for the Knicks, (Woodson was instrumental in bringing a championship to Detroit in 2004 while assisting Larry Brown), the fact that D’Antoni has expressed disinterest in having any ‘defensive
specialist’ on his coaching staff, leaves one to ask why then was Woodson hired? He most likely got the job because of his connection to a Dolan all-time favorite, Glen Sather. However, we can’t help but wonder exactly how much one Isiah Thomas had to do with his signing. It just smells…but time will tell. Meantime, Knick’s owner James Dolan now has in place, a ‘coach- in- waiting’, should D’Antoni’s squad implode at any point during the season…
FANTASY FURNACE 