Knicks fire Mike Woodson

Apr 21, 2014 - 3:12 PM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Knicks have fired head coach Mike Woodson after a disappointing 2013-14 season.

New Knicks president Phil Jackson announced the decision Monday.

The Knicks reached the playoffs twice under Woodson before this year's club finished 37-45 and wound up one game behind Atlanta for the final spot in the Eastern Conference.

Woodson had his contract option picked up for the 2014-15 campaign last September after the Knicks won the their first division title since 1993-94 with a 54-28 record in 2012-13 and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals.

However, the Knicks never recovered after stumbling out of the gate this year with a 3-13 mark, and a change in the front office with Jackson taking over as club president in March led to Woodson's ouster.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mike Woodson and his entire staff," said Jackson. "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.

"Everyone in this franchise owes a great deal of gratitude to what Mike and his staff have done. We wish him the best."

Woodson was named the Knicks' interim coach on March 14, 2012 after the firing of Mike D'Antoni and guided New York to a record of 18-6 down the stretch to earn a playoff berth and a full-time contract.

In two-plus seasons as Knicks coach, Woodson posted a record of 109-79. Last spring's playoff series victory was the first for the Knicks since 2000.

Woodson first joined the Knicks as an assistant coach in 2011 after spending six seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. He guided the Hawks to a record of 206-286, improving the club's win total each year with postseason berths in each of his final three years.