The fans were just expressing their frustration with a no-show performance Sunday vs. the Western Conference champion Spurs, but coach Mike Woodson deserved better than to hear the first “Fire Woodson” chant of his Knicks stint. It wasn’t so long ago these same fans from the upper deck belted out “Hire Woodson” chants during Mike D’Antoni’s final season in 2011-12 with Woodson on the bench as D’Antoni’s defensive assistant.
The Knicks are off to a 2-4 start — same as the Nets — and it’s not on the coach. Their most indispensable player, Tyson Chandler, has missed most of the past three games. Their second-best scorer, J.R. Smith, was suspended the first five games of the season. He returned Sunday, but after missing most of preseason rehabbing from knee surgery, Smith looked like the worst player in the league.
It is too early for Knicks owner James Dolan to think of replacing Woodson so soon after guaranteeing the $3.6 million he has left on the final year of his pact in 2014-15. Dolan is already up to his blues guitar in luxury-tax payments on this season’s team, so as much as he was displeased with the coaching vs. Indiana in the playoffs, he’s not in a rush to fire the coach, from my understanding. Dolan’s paying 17 players for this season, two GMs and probably more trainers than any team in NBA history. He and his band will also be on tour with the Eagles again much of November, so he’ll have his distractions.
Woodson has to be better in motivating the players, but he has more new faces than he probably should have following a 54-28 season. Andrea Bargnani got a tough break with contracting pneumonia in August during a training camp with Team Italy and came into Knicks’ camp not in the best of condition. Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin are on a ridiculous platoon situation and minutes restrictions — designed by the Knicks’ expanded medical staff. The Knicks wouldn’t let Stoudemire touch a basketball during the summer, shutting him down completely instead of having him start his rehab. So he looks like the second-worst player in the NBA after Smith.
Carmelo Anthony, who elected to rehab his shoulder instead of having surgery, has yet to find his superstar mojo. It also wasn’t Woodson who allowed Smith to put off knee surgery until mid-July, which made his training camp more about rehabbing than basketball.
This is on the players, the front office, the medical staff. It certainly isn’t on Woodson. At least not yet.
Meanwhile, Smith has alluded to his conditioning and explosiveness not being up to par as he comes back from knee surgery and the marijuana suspension. He looked so out of whack Sunday against the Spurs, it’s difficult to imagine him finding his Sixth Man Award form for another two weeks.
This is essentially his preseason. He’s admitted his left leg still doesn’t have full strength, and that’s a concern. When Smith had a big surge in mid-March to end last season, his ability to snake to the basket for points and fouls and not just rely on his stepback jumper was huge. He said after Sunday’s five-point, four-turnover performance he wasn’t able to explode to the basket like he had hoped. How long will it take for J.R. to get his burst back?
Woodson is a head coach, not a miracle healer.