Five days after the season finale, Mike Woodson still has the title of Knicks head coach, but that’s expected to change this week. Woodson and team president Phil Jackson will meet in the coming days, perhaps as soon as Monday, to discuss his job status, according to a source.
Former Knicks coach Larry Brown, who speaks to Woodson periodically, has kvetched publicly on the radio and privately to friends that Woodson has been treated unfairly by Jackson, who has his eyes on Steve Kerr.
“I’m sick about what’s happening with Michael,’’ Brown said, adding Jackson should “give Woody a way to leave graciously. He’s out on a limb and it’s not fair.’’
There’s also a theory Woodson prefers that his Creative Artists Agency representative meet with Jackson if his fate already has been sealed. If that was ever true, Woodson quickly changed his mind.
None of this is coming from Woodson himself. He was unhappy to be excluded from the player exit meetings Thursday and Friday, but he has 3.4 million reasons — that’s how many dollars he is owed for the final year of his contract — not to feel bitter toward owner James Dolan or Jackson.
Dolan and then-president Steve Mills exercised the option on the final year of Woodson’s contract in training camp as a bonus, knowing the Knicks coach probably wasn’t coming back unless they improved on last season’s second-round showing. Who knew?
“He understands this business and is not angry at Phil,’’ a person with ties to Woodson said. “There’s no demands. It’s obvious they’re meeting.’’
Another person who speaks to Woodson said he was put in “an awkward situation,” but Woodson’s team’s awful record in December prompted the Dolan-Jackson initial meeting.
Jackson’s arrival as president wasn’t seamless, but Woodson handled it with class and dignity.
Why is Brown trying to make this undignified? This hardly is the Brown saga of 2006, when Dolan let Brown twist in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights after the finale. But Brown ultimately came away with $28.5 million for his 23-59 disaster, so it was tough to cry a river.
After Woodson guided the Knicks to an 18-6 finish as interim coach after taking over for Mike D’Antoni, then got bounced out in the first round by Miami, Dolan didn’t bother to give Jackson a phone call. That was when the Zen Master was still healthy enough to coach. Dolan promoted Woodson without a search. Pretty good treatment.
If you want to nitpick at Jackson’s presidential stint so far, it’s not about his treatment of Woodson now. (Jackson wanted to get exit meetings out of the way before dealing with Woodson.)
It’s Jackson’s decision to stay away, instead of imparting his wisdom and trying to help the playoff push. Then again, Woodson didn’t seem to need it as he rallied the troops to a 15-6 finish and may have been a late Carmelo Anthony shoulder injury from the eighth seed. Jackson was simply a coach letting a coach do his job.
Dolan could have easily fired Woodson at any point from December on but stuck with him. He gave Woodson a chance to increase his stock with a strong finish as the team didn’t quit. That will only look good on Woodson’s résumé.
Anthony gave Woodson his strongest endorsement Thursday, saying he’d give him “a recommendation” if needed. The timing was odd, since Anthony had been ambivalent much of the season. The skeptic would have you believe Melo was over the top on Woodson out of loyalty to CAA.
It doesn’t look as if Anthony can save Woodson from the inevitable. But there are 3.4 million reasons to suggest Woodson got a fair shake.
Woodson did an overall admirable job during three years with the Knicks, got them to overachieve during last season’s 54-28 gem. But why would Jackson keep him if he has been paid $60 million to change the shape of the organization into a triangle?
“You can point the fingers in a lot of directions and I’m not going to sit here and air that out,’’ Woodson said last week. “At the end of the day, I’m the coach and I didn’t get it done.’’
He didn’t get it done this season, but Woodson has nothing to be ashamed of or feel bitter about.