Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has been on the hot seat all year, but he likely won't be replaced until the offseason, when owner James Dolan attempts to make a splash hire to entice Carmelo Anthony to stay in New York.
The New York Knicks are going to do whatever they can to ensure Carmelo Anthony doesn't bolt in the offseason, and that strategy includes bringing in an "A-list" head coach to replace the embattled Mike Woodson, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. ESPN New York's Ian O'Connor laid out a list of five possible candidates, including Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Thibodeau, John Calipari, Mark Jackson and Billy Donovan.
Woodson has come under fire all season long, and after every embarrassing loss, people have waited with baited breath for the hammer to finally drop on the Knicks' head coach. But that hammer hasn't come yet, and according to Stein, it won't come until after the season.
While hiring an interim coach from within like Herb Williams or Allan Houston could be a potential wake-up call for the floundering Knicks, there's just as good a chance the struggles would continue. Woodson has done a poor job coaching the team this season, but the problems run much deeper than him. And if nothing changed even with Woodson out the door, it would help shine the light brighter on all of those other problems. At least that's what Knicks owner James Dolan is allegedly thinking.
So instead, the plan appears to be to use Woodson as a scapegoat. The Knicks do still have an outside shot at making the playoffs, but it remains extremely unlikely. When the season is mercifully over, Dolan can point to Woodson as the problem and then promise Anthony a big-name replacement to help fix the issues. That, along with a max deal worth close to $130 million over five years and the plan to attract another superstar in 2015, could entice Anthony to stick around.
However, attracting one of those big-time coaches is easier said than done. There have already been reports about Thibodeau returning to New York, where he was once an assistant under Van Gundy. But Thibodeau still has three years left on his contract with the Chicago Bulls, and the Bulls would require hefty compensation in return for allowing their star head coach to leave. That's compensation the Knicks don't really have to offer.
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Calipari is another popular name that has come up because of his ties to Creative Artists Agency. CAA represents numerous Knicks employees, including Woodson and Anthony. Calipari has dabbled in the NBA before and reportedly said he would have left Kentucky for the Nets in 2010 if they had been able to swing a trade for Anthony.
With Kentucky underwhelming the last few seasons, perhaps Calipari would again turn his eye to the NBA, especially if he could get a major payday in New York. But even despite some of the recent issues at Kentucky, he may not want to leave his cushy situation in Lexington, where he's basically the star and does whatever he pleases.
Jackson and Donovan are both intriguing options. Both coaches grew up in New York and have Knicks ties. Jackson started his NBA playing career with the Knicks and would likely be a popular pick. Jackson has a year left on his contract with the Golden State Warriors, and his future there may depend on how this postseason shakes out.
Donovan played for the Knicks as well, albeit very briefly. Donovan also once rejected Isiah Thomas' bid to hire him as Knicks head coach years ago. But while Donovan has a good thing going at Florida, it could be tough for him to turn down another chance at coaching the Knicks if Anthony is in place and Dolan comes calling with a big bag of cash.
And then there's Van Gundy, who O'Connor sees as the Knicks' best choice. Van Gundy had a lot of success during his first head coaching stint in New York, winning eight playoff series. The Knicks have won just one playoff series since Van Gundy left in 2001, so bringing back the last man to achieve success as head coach obviously holds a lot of appeal.
But would Van Gundy leave his sweet gig as an ESPN analyst to go work for Dolan again? While Van Gundy was given more power to speak freely as Knicks head coach than any of his successors, he may not want to deal with the current mess the organization is in.
There's certainly plenty of questions to be answered for the Knicks as they head into the summer. For now, it appears New York will ride this nightmare season out with Woodson before moving forward with whatever plan it is they have in place.