Knicks coach Mike Woodson huddled with Post columnist Steve Serby for some Q&A.
Q: If a team takes on the personality of its coach, what should this team’s personality be?
A: Discipline … hard work, because that’s what I’m about … dedication … and probably just being a pro, man. I mean, because you play in the NBA or you play sports professionally, doesn’t mean that you’re a true pro to the game. To me, that says a lot. That to me divides the teams that win and the teams that are just happy to be here. And that’s everybody. It starts at the top, and it trickles down to the coaches, and then the players, the people that you work with, your PR people … your trainers, or the doctors … ’cause it all goes hand in hand, in terms of making sure that the player is prepared and ready to play. If you don’t do that, to me you’re cheating the game.
Q: What’s your definition of a pro?
A: Dedication … commitment … ’cause if you’re not committed … I’ve been there as a player, I’ve been there as a coach … everybody’s gotta be on board, man. You need a little luck along the way, but if you’re not committed, you’re not gonna win. And the teams that win championships, there’s a little luck involved, but at the end of the day, they’ve done something right to position themselves to win titles. You look at all the years that the Celtics and the Lakers, there’s a reason why they won. They were talented, but from the top to the bottom, they did a lot of right things, I think, to put themselves in position to win titles.
Q: Even though you’re aware that this franchise has not won a championship since 1973, you came here to win a championship,
A: Absolutely. My clock is ticking, man. I’m not getting any younger. I’ve tasted it as an assistant coach [with the Pistons], man, and it’s hard to describe, going through something like that. Yeah, we were a little lucky, and it was a roller-coaster ride, there were a couple of series that year that we probably shoulda went home. But our players, they just were determined that, all they had on their mind was winning the title, once we got into it. That second round with the Nets, you lose a triple-overtime [game] at home and gotta go back and get Game 6 there to force Game 7 back at home, that’s tough. And they jump on you 12-2 in Game 6, and you withstand it to come out of that game and come home and win 7, to me that was our championship series, before we even got to the Eastern Conference and then the Finals to beat the Lakers that year.
Q: Do you show these guys your championship ring?
A: Yeah, I have it here with me.
Q: Do you sometimes break it out?
A: Yeah.
Q: When would you do that?
A: During the playoffs.
Q: You did it last year during the playoffs?
A: Absolutely. Me and Tyson [Chandler] both. Now you have [Jason] Kidd this year, he could break his out with us, yes (smile).
Q: Have you noticed a change in commitment from a year ago to now?
A: Yes. And a lot of that is the players that we filled in this summer to be on our ball club. We brought in some veteran guys that, their clock is ticking, too. I forgot to mention Rasheed Wallace is on this team, he has a ring, too. A lot of those veteran guys — a few of ’em — haven’t had an opportunity to win a title. Like Marcus Camby … Raymond Felton, [Carmelo Anthony], Amar’e [Stoudemire] … they haven’t tasted an NBA title. So, we were able to assemble guys that we thought could come in here and help us, didn’t have to worry about playing big minutes, but be a positive piece to our puzzle. And I think that’s been the difference so far this early season is the fact that we have veteran guys that are hungry … that really believe that this team, if we stay healthy and we stay together that we got a legitimate shot.
Q: How do you get a team to believe?
A: First you gotta trust one another, and that was a big theme when we started camp. The only way you’re gonna be a team — and it’s gotta be team and win. That’s all I think about —team, win. And how that happens, you gotta trust one another and you gotta be committed.
Q: What would Red Holzman say about this team?
A: He would love this team, because there’s enough talent on this team and enough smart, intelligent players on this team that he’d be licking his chops to coach this team ’cause he’s a great coach. I gotta think that he would get the most out of these guys that he can get because of the talent and the I.Q. factor in terms of the game,
Q: What would Bobby Knight say about this team?
A: Same thing.
Q: How do you close the gap on the Heat?
A: Well ,it’s not just the Heat. There’s so much parity around the league that if you don’t come to play, you could be beaten by anybody. But on the flip side of that, I know this team can beat anybody on a given night if we come ready to play and committed. There’s not a team we can’t beat. … My thing is just handling our own business on a night-in-and-night-out basis, and if it comes down to us and Miami in the Eastern Conference finals, so be it.
Q: You won’t fear that matchup?
A: No.
Q: Is it your intent to make the Garden a house of horrors for visiting teams?
A: That’s the only way it should be. In 11 years that I played in the league, I never won in the Boston Garden, and I never won in the L. A. Forum. Not that I was a great player or we had great teams, you just couldn’t win in those places. And those places became mega championships. You would have to go in and play an A-plus game to beat the Celtics with [Larry] Bird and that crew in Boston. You would have to play an A-plus game to go in and beat the Lakers, with Magic [Johnson] and that crew. You just couldn’t do it. And the same thing happened with [Michael] Jordan, finally hit his stride. And the Pistons would hit their stride. And the Houston Rockets hit their stride … San Antone … those places you don’t win. And that’s how it’s gotta be here in New York. It’s gotta be miserable for teams to come into the Garden and win. And our fans have gotta feel comfortable every time they sit in those stands in those seats, that hey, they’re gonna watch a very entertaining game, but their team’s gonna win.
Q: Did you watch how the city embraced the New York Giants after they won the Super Bowl?
A: Oh yeah. … It’s unbelievable. I mean, this city’s so hungry right now for an NBA title … and I want it to be the Knicks. I figure if you do it here, it doesn’t get much better. We did it in Detroit, and they had won a few already. But they embraced us that year after we won it, boy it was just a beautiful thing to see. And I think it’s great for the city, and just people in general, if you’re able to get that done.
Q: What have you learned about coaching in New York?
A: You gotta be crazy to coach anywhere, not just New York (chuckle). I have found that the fans here are true, and they know basketball. They truly know basketball, they really do. I don’t think you can sit and trick ’em or anything like that, because they’ll see through that. Then the media’s the media, it’s what it is. The bottom line is they expect you to win here, and that’s OK. That’s what we’re all in it for. I didn’t come here to lose.
Q: The responsibility, the obligation, the pressure — do you like that?
A: See, you all look at it as pressure. I don’t. To me, pressure’s getting out of the bed, starting your day. To me, that’s pressure, trying to deal with everyday life. A lot of people look at my job and say, “Man,” and I hear that a lot — “Boy, there’s a lot of pressure.” But I don’t look at it that way. I feel good about what I do as a coach, and I really feel good because we’ve been able to assemble guys that fit me … that I think will run through a brick wall and do things that I want done … to win.
Q: That’s a good feeling for a coach.
A: It is a good feeling. A lot of times, coaches are not in that position, to be able to handpick guys to come in — you don’t know if it’s gonna work — but to be able to bring guys in that you think fits you that can help you win. A lot of coaches don’t get that opportunity.
Q: If you were a player in today’s NBA, would you want to play for Mike Woodson?
A: Absolutely,
Q; Why?
A: Because he’s fair. … He’s dedicated to what he’s trying to get done … and he’s for the players. I mean, I’m strictly for guys that are committed and want to win. I’ll push guys and … you can’t push everybody the same, that’s the adjustment of being a coach, you gotta find the right buttons based on each player. But, if a player wants to be coached, I’m the guy that can do it, I think.
Q: Other adjectives that I think describe you: Demanding?
A: Yeah
Q: Old-school?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Compassionate?
A: Yes.
Q: Driven?
A: I am driven,
Q: Adaptable?
A: I am adaptable. Again, it ain’t always what Mike Woodson says, or [else]. … I give players a lot of leeway. I’m not always right. If you think you got a better way, I’m all ears, man (smile).
Q: Prideful?
A: Yup.
Q: Are your instincts are good about people and about the game of basketball?
A: I like to think so. I haven’t always been right, man, I’m telling ya, I’ve gone through some struggles as a coach … just as a man in general but … in this game, you think you’ve seen it all. I mean, 30 years or so that I’ve been in this game, there’s always something that you can learn. And the players will put you in that light, too, because they bring something different every day, man, and it’s just waiting to jump out at you and then you’re like, “Damn!”
Q: How did you convince Carmelo to get into the shape that he’s in now?
A: I didn’t have to convince him. I thought Melo was committed last year when I took over. I had some positive reinforcement things to say to Melo when I took over, in that he, Amar’e, Tyson, none of those guys we’re playing hard enough at that time, I didn’t think. And that those three guys had to be held accountable. You can’t expect Rook [Iman Shumpert] and the young guys to carry the load. And when things would go bad, I’m not gonna hold those young bucks accountable, I’m gonna hold you three. Because you’ve been around, you’ve done OT. And, when s – -t ain’t right, I’m going at you guy, to make sure it gets right. And they bought into that. And it’s been a nice carryover from last season into the summer knowing that Melo and Tyson had to get ready for the Olympics, that’s big. You don’t go to Olympic trials not being in shape and not being a part of the best players in the world to help bring home the gold medal, and they did that. And when they came back, they continued their summer program pace, and it was a nice carryover into that camp ’cause everybody came into camp.
Q: Carmelo looks like a driven guy this year.
A: He tasted it in college (Syracuse), Everybody doesn’t win a national title in college. That’s the biggest stage in college basketball. And so, he knows what that feeling is like, and he was a big part of them winning it at Syracuse so, I know he’s hungry to win an NBA title.
Q: He’s playing like he’s tired of hearing that he’s a ball stopper.
A: Again, everybody says ball stopper, I don’t agree with that either, because when the ball stops in Kobe [Bryant’s] hand, you’re pretty happy about that. When it stops in LeBron [James’s] and [Dwyane] Wade’s hand, [Kevin] Durant’s hand, you better be pretty damn happy about that. Well, I’m pretty happy when it stops in Melo’s hands, too, ’cause good things happen.
Q: Are you going to be able to make Amar’e and Carmelo work?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Why are you do confident about that?
A: It worked last year … before all the injuries set in.
Q: Can it work the way you want it to work?
A: Absolutely.
Q: In a championship way?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Do you have a plan already in your mind, or is that something you do on the fly?
A: I’m the coach. It’s my job to make it work. That’s my job.
Q: What gives you the confidence that it will work?
A: Because I’ve got quality players that know how to play, and if you’re committed to winning, you have no choice but to make it work.
Q: What kind of an impact in your system can Shumpert make?
A: Major impact. Because he can defend, pretty much 1 through 4. And he’s still learning the game. But — I say this all the time because I’ve had the opportunity to coach a lot of young, good players, like Josh Smith and Marvin Williams and Al Horford … Josh Childress … a lot of young guys — the thing that he has a lot of those guys beat is that he already knows how to play hard, he plays hard. It’s almost like reckless abandon. But that’s good, because to be able to teach young guys how to play at a high level. It’s not easy, Eventually they’ll learn. It might take ’em a year or two, but eventually. … That first practice, when they come in, they think that they’re practicing hard, and they have no clue. But two years later, you see a major difference. Mentally, they start to grow up and understand and to physically adjust, but he’s already ahead of the game.
Q: Does he have the “it” factor?
A: He wants to learn. He’s not a stubborn rookie. He’s just, “Whatchu want me to do? I’ll attempt and try to get it done.”
Q; What is different about J.R. Smith this year?
A: I think he’s grown a lot in terms of his mental approach, his physical approach, and … he wants to be recognized, and that’s a good thing as a player. It’s not always as a player you want to hear all the negative things that surround what you do on and off the court, And, my thing to J. R. is, “Don’t put yourself in that position. Put yourself in a position where good things happen for you off the court, and put yourself in a position when you step on that court, good things are gonna happen and you’re gonna show people that you’re for real and you’re a player.” And I think his approach has been totally that way this year, I believe that.
Q: Why did you want Ray Felton to be your point guard?
A: I thought his last go-around here in New York was a positive one. Not a lot of players can play in New York, especially a point guard. You got everybody eating at you, ’cause they want that basketball. And you gotta be tough, tough-minded. So to be able to bring Raymond, Kidd — who’s basically seen it all, has dealt with those type of players: “Oh give me the damn ball. I think I should score the ball. Throw ***** me the ball” — they’re tough enough that they can block it out. Pablo [Prigioni], another kid who’s a willing passer. You got three point guards that all do unique things. But the one thing they all can do is run a team. That’s why Raymond Felton was sitting at the top of our list in terms of bringing him back.
Q: “Play Hard, Play Smart, Play Together, Have Fun” is posted on the board in the film room and locker room.
A: It originated when I started working with coach Larry Brown in Philadelphia. Every game, each guy who has a game scout, he wanted that on the board. And, it’s kinda followed me ever since I left Philly, into Detroit, and then when I went to Atlanta. It says a lot in terms of what a guy should be thinking about when he steps on the practice floor or a game floor.
Q: On the most recent “Mike Woodson Show,” surprise guest Bob Knight erases “Have Fun.”
A: (Smile) Knight erased “Have Fun” and I put it back on after he left.
Q: What’s it like having an MSG TV show here in New York?
A: I never imagined anything like that. I don’t know if I’m made for TV or not (laugh). It scares me sometimes, but I think it’s great because it gives people an opportunity to know me, and what I’m about. And it’s fun. I’ve never had a TV show.
Q: Your wife knows basketball. What does she tell you about what she likes about this team?
A: That we have a pretty smart basketball team, that guys know how to play. And she tells me it’s my job to make sure I get ’em to play, and put ’em in the right position not to fail. And that is my job.
Q: What’s the easiest way to tick you off?
A: If you don’t defend. I don’t say a whole lot about offense. If I see selfish play offensively, I’m gonna voice my opinion and let ’em know. But if you’re not defending, I got a problem with that. I go at players for not defending, and being sloppy with the basketball in terms of turning it over. But mainly, you gotta defend and rebound.
Q: Why does that tick you off so much if players don’t do that?
A: Because, I know you’re gonna win. If you defend every night and rebound the ball and not turn it over, you’re gonna put yourself in position to win.
Q: How important is it to add some levity?
A: You gotta make it fun, man. They probably think I’m crazy. They probably think some days I’m a comedian … a lunatic some days, they probably think. … Some days they think I’m a teacher … parent. You play a lot of roles, man, when you’re a coach, you really do. And I gotta always be up, I can’t be down. Because if the players see that, it’s not good. And hey, it ain’t always perfect for me as a coach, trust me. I have my low moments. But when I come to work and step foot in this office, I gotta be up, and motivated, and get guys to make sure that they’re generated and motivated and ready to go. I play a lot of roles, and that’s good, ’cause sometimes I can be a prankster, a joker, here and there and get a laugh here or there. But when I’m serious, they know. When I’m locked in and ready to go, you gotta be locked in and ready to go too.
Q: Who are some of the leaders in sports or history that you’ve admired?
A: There’s no doubt, as a young kid, Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy, guys like that from a political standpoint, were people that, at a young age, impacted me as a young boy, because I thought they were bigger than life. From a coaching standpoint, my high school coach, Bob Knight. And all the coaches — Cotton Fitzsimmons, who got me into this crazy coaching business, man. Those people played major roles in my life. Along with my parents. The short time that they were around, they died so young, they left a major imprint on my life, without a doubt. Major. Major. Major.
Q: Cotton Fitzsimmons?
A: He called me, asked me to come to Phoenix to assist him in the Desert Classic.
Q: What had you been doing at the time?
A: I was retired, and happy. Playing a lot of golf … running my little real estate company with my business partner Scott May. … [I] was just content. And he called and said, “Hey man, I think you should be a coach. You should get into coaching.” I said, “No Cotton, that’s not me.” And he says, “Well I need some help out here.” … It was the pre- draft combines. And I’m like, “Cotton, I don’t want to coach, man.” He says, “I’ll tell you what we can do: We can coach and play golf?” So I was like, “OK, then if we’re gonna play golf, I’m good with that.” So I take the trip out to Phoenix, we get on the practice floor, and the very first day, Cotton was there for about 15 minutes. And he says, “Hey, finish practice, I’m going to play golf.” And I’m like, “Hold on.” I said, “I thought we were gonna play golf.” He says, “You gotta coach the team.” I’m like, “This is bull[bleep].” ’Cause I didn’t know what to do. He leaves me, he kinda set the format for practice, and he’s like, “I gotta go, I’m going to play golf.” I’m sitting there as a coach, not knowing what to do. And I’d been playing all these years, and didn’t have a clue.
Q: How did practice go?
A: It put me in a different light, man, that when you play you control everything as a player, at least you think you do. As a coach , you semi-control things. You can put people in place, but you kinda live your fantasies through the players. You ***** hope that the players grasp a hold of what you’re trying to relay, and they do it. And then you hope it works, ’cause it might not work (chuckle). But man, when I left that practice, I was like, “Man, I could probably do this.” It was like now the juices were back flowing again. I’m wearing a different hat but, it’s basketball back over again for me, and that’s how it started, and I was like, “Damn, I might like this.” And to make a long story short, I never got to play golf during that whole combine. I coached. It left a good taste in my mouth when I left Phoenix man, and I was thirsty to start coaching, which was crazy.
Q: Favorite restaurants?
A: I eat at Quality Meats … Bella Blue’s … Cipriani’s … and then my main place, Club 42 here in Westchester, at the Ritz Carlton.
Q: Coach, New York Knicks: What does that mean to you?
A: This is the greatest thing in the world. There’s a lot of people who’d love to have my job. Without a doubt. I never dreamed that I would come back here to be a coach, but man, it fell in my lap. Mr. [James] Dolan gave me an opportunity man, and I’m trying to please Mr. Dolan, because I think he deserves a title. And the fans of New York, and the players that we filled in, man. They all need to experience it at one time. Hopefully it’ll be this year.
Q: A message to Knicks fans.
A: Stay patient and hang in there with us. Be our sixth man. Make that Garden the most dreadful place for teams to come in there and play.
Q: Is this going to be a fun spring?
A; Absolutely. We gotta do our part, and they gotta help us do our part, it’d be great. It all goes hand in hand, I think.