The New York Knicks have fired head coach Mike Woodson and his staff after a dismal season in which the team missed the playoffs for the first time in three years.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mike Woodson and his entire staff,” Knicks president Phil Jackson said in a statement released by the team. “The coaches and players on this team had an extremely difficult 2013-14 season, and blame should not be put on one individual. But the time has come for change throughout the franchise as we start the journey to assess and build this team for next season and beyond.
Woodson is under contract through the 2014-15 season, but Jackson and the Knicks will begin the search for a new coach immediately.
Woodson coached the Knicks for the past two seasons after taking over on an interim basis in 2011 following Mike D’Antoni’s resignation. Woodson led the Knicks to a 54-win regular season and a division title in 2012-13, and he finished his New York tenure with a 109-79 record.
The Knicks were eliminated from playoff contention when the Atlanta Hawks clinched the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference by defeating the Miami Heat during the last week of the regular season.
