NBA

Woodson: Chandler should’ve kept complaints in-house

Everything was simply smashing and fine the day after Knicks players sliced into Mike Woodson and his coaching methods.

At least that was the claim from those very few — two actually — who spoke Tuesday. Only Woodson and Tyson Chandler, who directed some of the most cutting barbs at his coach, claiming the Nets “out-schemed” the Knicks during the 103-80 rout at Madison Square Garden on Monday, addressed the issue.

While Woodson insisted he was not upset by players’ comments, he stressed the need to keep all gripes in-house.

“I talk about it. I don’t think it’s something you air in the paper,” Woodson said. “You got issues, you hold your coach and your teammates accountable and you air it out amongst yourself.”

Though some around the Knicks glossed over the issue, those with objective viewpoints saw the situation differently.

“From what I saw [Monday] that is not good for Woodson,” one longtime NBA scout said. “But that team needs to do more than fire a coach. It needs to get some players.”

One Western scout who was at a recent Knicks game said, “Chandler’s comments hurt. And I think the roster is full of guys who do not make the other guys better. Tough to win with guys like that.”

Woodson received support from former coach/current TV analyst Jeff Van Gundy, speaking on ESPN Radio Tuesday. Van Gundy, who called the Knicks “mediocre,” took Chandler to task.

“You always want players who look introspectively and I was absolutely shocked that Tyson Chandler said what he said and did what he did,” Van Gundy said. “He has always conducted himself as a pro throughout his career and that’s one he’ll regret.

“What he should have said was ‘I haven’t played well enough, this is what I have to do better and it’s on us as players,’ ” said Van Gundy, who addressed Chandler’s gripe about too much switching on defense by saying, “If they have that complaint then I wanted to hear it last year when they were winning 50 plus [games].”

Chandler was asked point blank after practice in Greenburgh if the Knicks were lambasting Woodson.

“No. I think we were just discussing the game and what we saw,” Chandler said. “They weren’t … shots at coach. Myself and [Carmelo Anthony], if we had something we wanted to discuss with our head coach, we’ll do so in his office or in the meetings. We were just saying what we saw and that’s that.”

Anthony, though not as direct as Chandler, said the Knicks had no fight, the Nets played to mismatches and forced the Knicks away from the game plan.

Chandler and Woodson both said they spoke and cleared any air that needed clearing.

“We’re fine. Coach knows me. He knows if I have something to say it’s going to be to him. … Anything I say, I say to them, to their face. But I will be honest about what I saw in the game. But that’s not meant to nit-pick at anybody or send any messages. I’ll send my messages directly,” Chandler said.

And all of this has just been more wearisome for Woodson, who has been under scrutiny all season while receiving public support from owner James Dolan. Woodson — again — said he does not fret over job security. And he claimed he did not take Monday’s rips at him as rips at him.

“Absolutely not,” Woodson said. “When you win games, things are OK. When you lose games things seem to creep in.”

There’s been a lot of creeping lately as the Knicks seek to end a four-game losing streak Wednesday at the Garden against the 76ers in the third leg of an eight-game homestand.

Woodson stressed some of the obvious, that he wants more commitment to defense — although the defense is under such enormous stress because of the total lack of movement on offense.

Last season all was well, but this is not last season when veterans such as Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas, Rasheed Wallace policed the locker room. Woodson dryly reminded, “when we brought those guys in last year, we caught a lot of hell for that.

“To me, winning teams develop chemistry and we just haven’t been able to do that this season,” said Woodson, who approached the latest crisis with his usual old-school air.

“I’ve been around this thing a long time. Players get upset. Coaches get upset, but at the end of the day I don’t feed much into that. If they want to lash out at me, that’s fine. I’m not a coach that takes things personally.

“I’m not kicking Tyson to the curb. I’m not going to kick Melo or anybody to the curb, because at the end of the day we’re all in this foxhole together and we’ve got to figure it out.”


One guy who wants out of the foxhole is point guard Beno Udrih, who according to sources has asked for a trade. Woodson declined to address the matter.

“Right now Beno is wearing a Knick uniform,” Woodson said. “And as long as he’s in a Knicks uniform, I expect him to be professional about his approach.”