Mike Woodson (Anthony J. Causi)
With Rangers coach John Tortorella out at the Garden, Mike Woodson could be next if the Knicks don’t get out of the second round next season.
According to an NBA source, Woodson has only one more fully guaranteed year left on his pact. The final year of the pact — 2014-15 — is not guaranteed. The three-year deal signed Memorial Day weekend last year is worth $10.5 million, the source said.
Some league observers were surprised Woodson didn’t get a guaranteed third year. Woodson fired his longtime agent, the late Joe Glass, and hired the superagency CAA, which represents a handful of Knicks.
Glass, who had been Larry Brown’s agent, had warred with Knicks owner James Dolan during Brown’s messy exit and multiple reports suggested the owner made Woodson change agents. (Glass died in November.)
Woodson’s guaranteed portion of the contract coincides with Carmelo Anthony’s opt-out clause next summer. The Knicks can give Anthony a contract extension no earlier than mid-February.
Woodson was in no danger of losing his job after the Knicks bowed out in the second round to the Pacers 12 days ago.
Knicks GM Glen Grunwald, a classmate of Woodson’s at Indiana, said after the season Woodson was “my coach of the year.’’ Woodson finished third in the Coach of the Year voting.
The unpredictable Dolan could guarantee the third year at any point.
Woodson’s 54-28 regular-season record — coupled with his 18-6 interim stint in 2012 — gives him an overall record of 72-34 — good for the franchise’s highest coaching winning percentage (.679). He also guided the Knicks to their first Atlantic Division title since 1993-94 with a roster that had J.R. Smith as the secondary scoring option.
However, the Knicks’ second-round flameout left a bad taste in many fans’ mouths, feeling Woodson didn’t make the proper adjustments to the rotation to combat Indiana’s size and the Knicks’ offensive struggles. Woodson has yet take a team out of the second round in his eight seasons as a head coach, including six years in Atlanta.
One league scout said Woodson is an excellent regular-season coach because he motivates his players to play defense every game, but his basic offense that contains a lot of isolation sets gets bogged down in a playoffs series when teams can prepare for it and make adjustments each game. The Knicks averaged 88 points in the 12 playoff games.
Woodson’s ultimate downfall in the playoffs was hitching his wagon to Smith and not letting go, even though Smith was slumping and bothered by a viral infection and fluid on his knee. His reluctance to go sooner with rookie Chris Copeland, try 3-point ace Steve Novak or stout rebounder Marcus Camby was puzz-ling.
Stuffing a rusty Amar’e Stoudemire into the rotation in the middle of the Indiana series also didn’t work, though that could have been a mandate from above because of his $100 million contract.
However, an argument can be made Woodson got the Knicks to overachieve during the regular season when they posted monster wins in San Antonio and Oklahoma City and beat Miami three of four times.
Woodson also has been a good company man, abiding by Dolan’s strict media policies. Dolan rewards good employees and that could play a big role in him returning for 2014-15 regardless of the Knicks’ advancement.
marc.berman@nypost.com