Mike Woodson’s job appears to be in trouble, and with Jeff Van Gundy’s name popping up as a possible replacement for the embattled New York Knicks head coach, ESPN and JVG decided to pull him off the air for last night’s Bulls/Knicks game. (For what it’s worth, Tom Thibodeau is the latest big name to be mentioned as a possible Knicks savior on the sidelines.) Per USA Today and the NY Post: “With the Knicks struggling at 5-15 entering the Bulls game and Coach Mike Woodson under pressure to turn the team around, Van Gundy, who used to coach the Knicks, was mentioned by the New York Post as a potential replacement. ESPN and Van Gundy decided it was best if he was not the story of a game he was calling. Sensitive to coaches on the hot seat, Van Gundy refuses to address job situations that might involve him. He thinks it’s unfair to the coach who has the job. Also, there is no indication Van Gundy wants the job, considering he already had it and has previously worked for Knicks owner James Dolan. […] Trying to take pressure off of Woodson, players have blamed themselves, but Woodson said it’s on him to get the team going. ‘I feel like I can take any team and win,’ Woodson told news reporters before the Bulls game. ‘Sometimes, that may not be realistic, but that’s just how I am as a coach.’ […] ‘He never wants to be a distraction,’ a Van Gundy friend said Wednesday. ‘He’s very sensitive about current coaches.’ Van Gundy has yet to broadcast a Knicks game this season. He’s on tap to due Friday’s Thunder-Lakers match. ‘It’s possible he’ll be calling a Knicks game at some point in New York this season,’ ESPN spokesman Ben Cafardo said.”
Trending
01
02
03
