Mike Woodson knows his days are numbered as the Knicks head coach. He just doesn’t know whether it’s measured in games, weeks, months or years. Ninety-nine percent of coaches are hired to be fired. It’s just a matter of how long they last before their services are no longer required.
Woodson has been fired before. He was let go in 2010 after leading the Hawks to three straight playoff appearances during his six-year tenure in Atlanta.
“Sometimes in this business, particularly in the business of sports, change makes some sense,” Hawks general manager Rick Sund said in announcing Woodson was gone.
Now Woodson is hoping he won’t get the same speech anytime soon from the Knicks, though his job security becomes more vulnerable during a losing streak that has grown to nine games.
A 3-13 record has stirred discussion of whether Woodson needs to go and potential successors are already being mentioned. But with an important game against the Nets set for Thursday in Brooklyn, Woodson is ignoring the vultures circling his head. Whether it’s for only a few more games, a few weeks or a few months, Woodson isn’t going to flinch.
“It’s not about me,” he said Tuesday when asked if he felt his job was in jeopardy. “I’m trying to do the best I can do in terms of getting us out of this slump.”
Later he added: “It’s not panic time. We just have to figure out how to win a game. We’ve got to go out and beat Brooklyn.”
Woodson doesn’t deserve to be the scapegoat for the Knicks’ woeful start. It’s not surprising they have struggled early this season, though their flaws are magnified by their losing streak.
Amar’e Stoudemire, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith were limited almost all of preseason to nurse injuries. Tyson Chandler has missed a month with a broken leg. Iman Shumpert has been inconsistent and the Knicks don’t have a point guard to match the other athletic point guards in the league.
Also, their 3-point shooting isn’t the asset it was last year when they won 54 games, and they haven’t filled the leadership void created by the departures of players such as Jason Kidd and Rasheed Wallace.
“We made some changes,” Woodson said, referring to his roster of a year ago. “Some of the changes have been good. But how quickly can we put it together? That has been the key. Last year we came together quickly. This year, it’s been slow coming out of camp with some of the injuries and losing Tyson has been a struggle not having someone back there to plug the middle.”
The Knicks keep trying to see some positives in their string of defeats, but that can only last for so long. Woodson understands his job is at stake.
“I’ve got to get us over the hump,” the coach said. “I’ve got to get us out of this hole we’re in. Sure the players play. But I’ve got to keep pushing them to believe they can win.”
Woodson has his hands full. Spats between players over assignments look divisive though the coach insists that’s far from the truth.
“During the heat of battle, especially when you’re losing games, everybody wants to point the finger and tries to reach for certain things,” he said. “I’m not going to allow that to happen with our group. Our group is a close-knit group.”
With everyone in the Eastern Conference except for Miami and Indianapolis at .500 or below, the Knicks can still achieve the goals they set for themselves before the year began, mainly winning the Atlantic Division and having the home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
“But we’ve got to stop the bleeding,” Woodson said, “and win some games so we can start feeling good about ourselves.”
The sooner that happens, the better for Woodson.