Knicks Owner James Dolan Still Confident in Coach Mike Woodson

New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has reason to feel confident about his continued employment. His boss James Dolan, speaking to the media for the first time in years, has no second thoughts about Woodson leading his troops. In a wide-ranging Q&A with  the NY Post, Dolan opens up about MSG’s murky future, the spectre of Isiah Thomas, the Knicks’ cheerleaders, and his own music: “We’re inside Madison Square Garden, a place everyone knows you’re personally invested in, not only emotionally but also for $1 billion. With the political movement to relocate it, will we still be sitting here in 10 years? James Dolan: ‘Yes, I think we’ll be here. I think this building now — I’m obviously prejudiced — but I’ve heard from other people who would know that this is the best [arena] in the world. I’ve been traveling with the Eagles, I’ve seen 25 buildings the last four months, and nothing comes close to this. Some of them are very nice but this is in a whole other category. Putting history aside, just structurally, every seat in the building now, what the experience means. Even the seats way up there (points to upper rows) have a nice, clear view to the stage, have their own screen, it’s a pleasant experience, walk out of your seats into the upper concourse. You remember what it used to be like up there?’ Yes … JD: ‘Now it’s inviting. I do think it’s the best building in the world in the greatest city in the world. And why would you take that apart? We have to work it out.’ So you think the political climate will be such in 10 years that it will be worked out? JD: ‘It’s a long time and we’ll be paying, of course, close attention to it. Moving this place would be like moving the Empire State Building.’ […] How patient will you be with him? He understood when he took the job the expectations that go with it. Will you give him a long rope? JD: ‘I have a lot of confidence in Woodson, and one thing I can say about Mike is he has the respect of all the players. They all respect him. And he treats them fairly and relatively equally, and that’s part of where the respect emanates from. And those are hard things to get from a coach. When a coach loses a team … that’s when a coach is kind of done.'”