rono: yes his record does speak for itself. Has that atlanta team been able to get deep into the playoffs with another coach? Were they even able to replicate his 53 win season? He built that team up as far as they could go with the talent he was given.
Then he steps into the spotlight in MSG and gives us 18-6 with a win against the eventual Champs (which is as much as OKC was able to do) All while dealing with the Lin saga, injuries to Melo, STAT, Lin and Shump and having to clean up the mess D'antoni left him.
He held players accountable, put us back in the playoff picture, gave the players direction for their offseason training, and will be the same tough nose, no-nonsense, defensive minded coach that Knicks fan's love.
I've got to say i'm pretty confident in Woodson as a coach for this roster. I believe that certain teams and coaches fit better together.
In the case of D'antoni his system was built for a run the floor kind of team. With Nash, Johnson, Matrix and Amare he had the kind of small ball, fast as hell team that he thrived with. When he came to NYK he was originally looking at a team that was rebuilding, in to what he thought would be PHX-east. But it turned into a half court team with the Melo trade and his system was not set up to use a 3/4 like Melo who thrives in half-court sets, making his system/coaching style mismatched for the roster.
With Woodson you see a defensive minded coach with very offensive minded players in ATL. Joe Johnson (d'ant pupil) Al Horford, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby, Jamal Crawford etc are all more known for their offensive output then their defensive toughness. He was not matched up with the kind of players he prefers. (remember he was a defensive guru for the 2004 Pistons.) Yet he was able to build that team up from a 13 win club into a 53 win club with a marked winning % improvement every year.
Now we get to see him with a team BUILT for him. Tyson Chandler, Camby, KT, Kidd, Felton, Shump, JR Smith are all above average to great defensive players.
Then with two offensive weapons in MELO and STAT he's given them orders to improve their conditoning and defensive effort this year. If Woodson is able to get MELO and STAT to play defense we are set up for a GREAT season. We have the right mix of players and coaching personnel to get the job done.
I have every confidence in this coach for this team. If D'antoni was still the coach I'd be worried but with Woody at the helm I'm not.