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Knicks give coach Mike Woodson multiyear extension - Yahoo! Sports
NEW YORK (AP) One playoff victory was good enough for Mike Woodson to return as New York Knicks coach - even with Phil Jackson lurking as a potential candidate.
Woodson knows more will be asked of him now.
''I know expectations are high and they should be high,'' Woodson said during a conference call, ''and I'm looking forward to the challenge.''
The Knicks removed the interim tag Friday and announced they had given Woodson a multiyear contract extension, rewarding him for a terrific finish to what had been a turbulent season.
Woodson led the Knicks to an 18-6 record after replacing Mike D'Antoni on March 14. The Knicks lost 4-1 to Miami in the first round, snapping an NBA-record, 13-game postseason losing streak by winning Game 4 for their first victory since 2001.
Still, there was speculation that Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan would open one of the league's biggest check books to go after Jackson, the 11-time champion coach and former Knicks player who sat out last season after retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Yet the Knicks never looked anywhere beyond Woodson, believing they can continue to improve with a full season of his coaching.
''I think Woody earned the right to be the first person we talked to and turned out to be the only person we talked to because our discussions with him after the season really reflected why he was so successful during the season,'' general manager Glen Grunwald said.
''We thought he was the right guy for this team at this time. Obviously, there's some great coaches out there that had we opened up the search would have been called, mainly Phil Jackson, who's the most successful coach in the NBA history, but we felt Woody was our guy and he showed it during the season and our discussions after the season.''
Woodson shrugged off the Jackson speculation.
''Tremendous coach, I know his name's been mentioned a lot, but that was not my concern,'' Woodson said. ''My concern at the time was coaching the New York Knicks the period that I had to coach and Mr. Dolan decided to bring me back.''
Neither the Knicks nor Woodson would disclose the terms of the deal.
Woodson knows more will be asked of him now.
''I know expectations are high and they should be high,'' Woodson said during a conference call, ''and I'm looking forward to the challenge.''
The Knicks removed the interim tag Friday and announced they had given Woodson a multiyear contract extension, rewarding him for a terrific finish to what had been a turbulent season.
Woodson led the Knicks to an 18-6 record after replacing Mike D'Antoni on March 14. The Knicks lost 4-1 to Miami in the first round, snapping an NBA-record, 13-game postseason losing streak by winning Game 4 for their first victory since 2001.
Still, there was speculation that Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan would open one of the league's biggest check books to go after Jackson, the 11-time champion coach and former Knicks player who sat out last season after retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Yet the Knicks never looked anywhere beyond Woodson, believing they can continue to improve with a full season of his coaching.
''I think Woody earned the right to be the first person we talked to and turned out to be the only person we talked to because our discussions with him after the season really reflected why he was so successful during the season,'' general manager Glen Grunwald said.
''We thought he was the right guy for this team at this time. Obviously, there's some great coaches out there that had we opened up the search would have been called, mainly Phil Jackson, who's the most successful coach in the NBA history, but we felt Woody was our guy and he showed it during the season and our discussions after the season.''
Woodson shrugged off the Jackson speculation.
''Tremendous coach, I know his name's been mentioned a lot, but that was not my concern,'' Woodson said. ''My concern at the time was coaching the New York Knicks the period that I had to coach and Mr. Dolan decided to bring me back.''
Neither the Knicks nor Woodson would disclose the terms of the deal.
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