The New York Knicks are in the final stages of contract negotiations with Mike Woodson and are expected to make him their coach in the coming days, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told ESPNNewYork.com.
The deal could be announced as soon as the end of this week, according to the source.
“They’re just waiting on paperwork,” the source said.
“The job’s his,” a second source familiar with negotiations said. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Woodson took over as coach on an interim basis when Mike D’Antoni stepped down March 14. Under Woodson, the Knicks finished the regular season 18-6 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. He coached the team to a win in Game 4 of its first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, which snapped the franchise’s NBA record 13-game postseason losing streak.
Woodson has received the support of many Knicks players, among them Carmelo Anthony,Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin.
Anthony has shown the strongest support for the 54-year-old Woodson.
“I’m hopeful he’s back,” Anthony said earlier this month. “There’s no need to try to change it up now. I’m a big believer in sticking with what you have.”
When D’Antoni first stepped down, Phil Jackson, the former Knicks player and Bulls and Lakers coach, and Kentucky coach John Calipari were mentioned as potential replacements.
But there was no indication that the 66-year-old Jackson would come out of retirement — one team source said that the Knicks did not reach out to Jackson — and Calipari repeatedly has denied interest in leaving Kentucky. New York was hesitant to reach out to Jackson because of his age and the hefty contract offer that it would likely take to entice him to take the job.
Woodson, who coached the Atlanta Hawks to the playoffs in three of his six seasons with the club, declined comment through a team spokesman. A team spokesman also declined comment when asked about the state of negotiations between Woodson and the Knicks.
WRITTEN BY Ian Begley is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com & FULL STORY HERE
