Knicks coach Mike Woodson, on Thursday, referred to this season as “a disaster from a coaching standpoint.’’
The team’s owner, James Dolan, may soon decide to end this disaster and give assistant coach Herb Williams a chance at a do-over.
The Nuggets are in town Friday night, followed by a road game at Oklahoma City on Sunday — and the Knicks could well be a season-worst 13 games below .500 by the end of the weekend. All the reasons Dolan didn’t pull the plug in December no longer apply.
As one league source told The Post, “The players genuinely like [Woodson], but it seems like they all see where this is going and a lot of what Woody is saying isn’t getting through. It’s kind of a scapegoat thing but the reality is once you lose the group, that’s it. And I would say that moment is close.’’
Dolan reportedly spoke to Carmelo Anthony after Wednesday’s 94-90 loss to Portland to seek his view on the situation and gave support. After the game, Melo said, “If something was to happen, it’s out of my hands.’’
When Tyson Chandler returned from a broken leg on Dec. 18, the Knicks were 10 games under .500. Dolan didn’t make a move then because he felt it was unfair to judge Woodson without Chandler. Plus, the Nets, over whom Dolan obsesses,
were playing as poorly. The Nets’ turnaround in the New Year only accentuates the Knicks’ struggles.
Wednesday’s loss dropped the Knicks 11 games below .500 at 19-30 — 2 1/2 games out of a playoff berth. They are playing losing ball since Chandler’s return. There is no savior — as Chandler once was regarded — on the horizon as the Feb. 20 trading deadline approaches.
A loss to the Nuggets could be especially bitter, because if the Knicks miss the playoffs, Denver gets the club’s lottery pick as the final bonanza in the Carmelo Anthony trade.
Woodson meets with Dolan after every home game the owner attends, and the Knicks coach didn’t seem shaken after Thursday’s practice. Dolan has thought unconventionally before and kept former coach Don Chaney — and Rangers general manager Glen Sather — around despite massive losses.
“It’s been out there, it’s buzzing,’’ Woodson said about his job security on his ESPN radio spot. “That’s not my concern. My concern is coming to work every day with my head held high, trying to figure out how I can figure out how I can get us out of this hole. It isn’t worrying about if I’m going to have a job tomorrow. … My job is thinking about Xs and Os and trying to get guys to play at a high level and win games.’’
Before going on ESPN, Woodson said at his post-practice press conference, “I can’t worry about that. That’s not sitting at the top of my list right now.’’
If and when a move is made, the league source believes Williams, who has been Knicks’ interim coach twice before, is the likely substitute. That would lead into the Knicks doing some big-game hunting this summer, perhaps exploring how to pry Tom Thibodeau from the Bulls, gauging the interest of Jeff Van Gundy and Stan Van Gundy and extending a legitimate interview to Patrick Ewing.
Assistants Darrell Walker and Jim Todd have been head coaches, but are considered too close to Woodson to take over.
The Bergen Record has reported Knicks executive Larry Johnson could be part of Williams’ staff, but he has spent most of this season in the marketing department and two sources said that probably wouldn’t happen. Johnson has turned down assistant coaching jobs from three other teams in his past.
“You don’t go 18-6 and 54-28 [last season] and not feel upset about what’s going on,’’ Woodson said. “I’ll be the first to say I’m not happy at all in terms of where we are as a team because I am the head coach and I pride myself on being better than what we are. Do we still have a shot to make the playoffs? Sure we do. I’ve been in this position before in Atlanta.’’
Injuries have been a big factor, as have the structural flaws of the roster, but more is at play. Iman Shumpert was scoreless against the Trail Blazers and hasn’t taken to Woodson’s coaching. Chandler, Carmelo Anthony and Metta World Peace all have talked about in-game adjustments that haven’t been made.
“This year has been, for me, it’s been kind of a disaster from a coaching standpoint in trying to get players to compete and play at a high level,’’ Woodson said. “That’s the frustrating part about it because I know we’re better than what we’ve shown and we’ve still got a chance.’’
The Woodson excuses about injuries affecting chemistry held well for a while, but are running thin. Every club has injuries — and look what the Nets did after All-Star center Brook Lopez went down. They started to win.
“I don’t know what you guys are hearing, I can’t control that,’’ Woodson said. “What I can control is that each day that I wake up, I’m, at this point, the head coach of the Knicks and I can control how I come to work and approach my job every day that I step foot in this training facility.’’