Jeff Van Gundy gives his vote of approval to Mike Woodson – NBA News
Jeff Van Gundy was at hand at ESPN’s NBA Finals media conference and had some thoughts to share about New York Knicks and Mike Woodson.
The former Knicks coach and current TV analyst said that he agreed with the signing of Mike Woodson as the head coach for the Knicks team, and thought that he made a good fit with the team.
"I thought Mike Woodson was the right move for the team. I think Woodson is the right fit at the right time. He performed exceptionally well in the regular season and the Knicks obviously had a difficult matchup with the Heat in
the first round. You’ve got to hand it to him in Game 4 and I thought they played well. I thought they showed a good amount of growth over that last 24 games of the regular season and into the postseason,” said Van Gundy.
Knicks General Manager Glen Grunwald had said before the Knicks regular season finished that Woodson was the ideal candidate for the coaching job.
"I think Woody earned the right to be the first person we talked to, and turned out to be the only person we talked to," said Grunwald.
Woodson served as the interim head coach of the Knicks after former coach Mike D’Antoni resigned in the middle of the regular season. He coached the team for 24 games and had an 18-6 record, winning the hearts of the Knicks team
management who offered him a contract after the Knicks were eliminated at the hands of the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Van Gundy also took over the reins of the Knicks team as an interim head coach in the 1995-1996 regular season after Don Nelson left the organization. He coached the Knicks for 23 games that season and finished with a 13-10 record.
Van Gundy was then brought back as head coach the next season and led the Knicks to a 57-25 record and the second seed in the Atlantic Division.
The Knicks will be looking for the same type of result from Woodson, who will now take over as the permanent coach. He has the nod of approval of stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare’ Stoudemire, and will be looking forward to working
with them in the offseason.
The Knicks have an exciting season ahead of them, with a new coach looking to take this star studded cast to the next level. Besides Anthony and Stoudemire, the Knicks have Tyson Chandler and Jeremy Lin in the team line up. Chandler
was named the Defensive Player of the Year this past season while Jeremy Lin had a breakout season with the Knicks, coming from the depths of the Knicks benches to secure a starting spot in the team at the point guard position.
ESPN New York’s Stephen. A. Smith has reported that the contract offered to Woodson is for two years, with a third year option. Woodson is reported to be making $4 million a year under the new contract.
Tags: