With the Phil Jackson era in full swing for the New York Knicks, Mike Woodson became a casualty after the Knicks fired him on Monday in one of the least surprising stories that will come in the NBA this year, and one of the players who performed under Woodson's tutelage, J.R. Smith, responded after the Knicks announced the change.
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Smith was one player who was upset, even if he saw the move coming.
"It is sad," Smith told ESPN. "He was great to me. I think I got a fair shake for the first time in a while under him. He treated me how he wanted to be treated. It sucks, but there is nothing I can do about it. I think he did a great job. I think he did a good job with me. He responded to the players. It's just a sad day for him, for me and my teammates."
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Smith and Woodson didn't always see eye-to-eye, however Smith did thrive under Woodson, even winning the sixth man award a year ago. While Smith was hoping that Woodson would be brought back since he is under contract for 2014-15, he understood that Jackson may decide to clean house and bring in his own coach after becoming the Knicks president in the middle of the season.
"I don't know what is fair or not. I'm not the person dealing with fair or not. It would've been nice to see him get another year at least, but Phil Jackson has won a lot of championships and knows basketball, so we have to trust in that," Smith said per ESPN.
Now that the Woodson era is over with at Madison Square Garden, rumors have emerged of a possible replacement for Woodson with Steve Kerr being the leading candidate. Smith said he doesn't really know Kerr but would be interested to see what the Knicks ultimately decide to do.
"I don't know Steve that well. I have seen him in the airport a few times. I did some interviews with him. He seems like a cool guy. It would be interesting to see what he's got," Smith said, according to ESPN.
Smith is under contract until 2015-16 with a player option for 2016, so he will be very interested to see who the Knicks bring in to guide the team now that Woodson is gone.
New York expected to be a championship contender and at least make the postseason but after stumbling out of the gate the team went 37-45 and missed the playoffs.
Following the disappointment, the speculation became about when, not if, Woodson will be fired. Now that the question was answered on Monday, the only mystery that remains is who it will be that takes his spot.
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