Mike Woodson is out of the woods for now.
Owner James Dolan spoke to the Knicks Thursday, a day after the team’s 29-point Christmas Day loss to the Thunder, to assure the players there will be no coaching change — or even any trades — in the near future, The Post has confirmed.
Dolan apparently was trying to quell the perception he is about to fire Woodson after an 9-19 start and to get the players to rally around the Knicks coach. Assistant general manager Allan Houston and president Steve Mills also attended the practice.
Dolan has been contemplating what to do for a good three weeks, but apparently he has seen enough from the club during its recent 6-6 stretch. The Knicks are still in the Atlantic Division hunt — trailing the Raptors by three games going into a home-and-home set that started Friday night — despite all their turmoil and injuries.
After Thursday’s practice, Woodson sounded reassured when he told reporters he sees “the light at the end of the tunnel” and said he “expects” to win the Atlantic Division despite the team’s record.
Nevertheless, before Friday’s 95-83 loss to the Raptors, it seemed as if a gag order was in place. Woodson cut off a questioner in midsentence.
“I’m not commenting on that,’’ Woodson said. “Let’s talk about the game. [Support] is always a good thing. I’m not here to discuss in-house matters. I’m not.’’
Tyson Chandler, an ardent Woodson supporter, said he heard reports of what Dolan said but couldn’t confirm them because it wasn’t uttered publicly.
“I’ve been prepped,’’ he admitted.
J.R. Smith said, “It does feel good for us to know that he’s going to be here.”
The Post has learned the Knicks’ injuries, the demise of the rival Nets and not having an impressive interim coach available are partly to explain why Dolan is not inclined to do anything for now.
It has also been determined by brass J.R. Smith, the team’s second-best player last season, still needs more time to recover from his knee surgery. Dolan, too, will have more coaching choices in the offseason, with Jeff Van Gundy, Lionel Hollins and Stan Van Gundy available in addition to coaches who could get fired.