Mike Woodson Extension: New York Knicks Never Contacted Phil Jackson, Says GM Glen Grunwald

New York Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald talked about the hiring of Mike Woodson as the new head coach of the Knicks during a conference call on Friday.

During the call Grunwald stated that the team never contacted Hall of Fame head coach and former Knicks player Phil Jackson, who was reportedly interested in the New York job (via Adam Zagoria's Twitter).

"I think Woody earned the right to be the first person we talked to and it turned out to be the only person we talked to," said Grunwald.

"Mike took over the team under challenging circumstances and made it clear, starting on day one, that he was going to hold every player on our roster accountable," said Knicks owner James Dolan. "We saw a significant improvement since Mike took over and believe our team will only keep improving under Mike's direction."

Woodson was given a multi-year extension on Friday after he led the Knicks to an 18-6 record to close the regular season. The Knicks won their first playoff game since 2001 but lost the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. As a player, Woodson was drafted by the Knicks in 1980 before being traded in 1981. Woodson is 224-292 as an NBA head coach.

Mike Woodson Signs Multi-Year Extension To Coach New York Knicks

The New York Knicks have signed Mike Woodson to a mult-year extension to be their head coach (via ESPN NY). The Knicks will be hosting a conference call at 6:15 p.m. to announce Woodson as the next head coach of the Knicks. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Woodson took over for Mike D'Antoni at the end of last season and helped the team to a 18-6 finish. The Knicks also won their first playoff game since 2001 with Woodson at the helm. Despite snapping the 13-game losing streak, the Knicks were eliminated by the Miami Heat in five games in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal NBA Playoff series.

Woodson has a career record of 224-292 and a playoff record of 12-22. He has taken a team to the playoffs in each of the last four seasons he has coached in the NBA.

--For more on the Woodson hire, stay tuned to this StoryStream.

Mike Woodson To Sign Long-Term Deal With Knicks This Week, According To Sources

The New York Knicks coaching search for next season and possibly for the long term could be settled sometime this week. According to Newsday sources, Mike Woodson will ink a deal with the Knicks and have his current interim tag removed.

Woodson, who had discussions about a contract extension with Knicks management during the playoffs, received strong endorsements from general manager and former Indiana University teammate Glen Grunwald toward the end of the season. Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler all backed Woodson's return.

If true, those Knicks fans who wanted New York to pursue Phil Jackson will be disappointed. Woodson does, however, seem to be a solid fit for the current roster, which was mainly put together by former head coach Mike D'Antoni, who resigned on March 14. [D'Antoni Discusses Resignation With SI]

For more on the Knicks playoff basketball, check back to this SB Nation New York StoryStream. Meanwhile, this StoryStream has everything on New York's coaching search.

Phil Jackson Rumors: New York Knicks Have Reportedly Not Called Legendary Coach

CBS Sports is reporting that Phil Jackson wants to return to coach, but that no NBA teams — including the New York Knicks — have contacted the coach with more championship rings than any coach in league history.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports ripped the Knicks in his report, saying in part “Let’s not be naïve about what the Garden is running now. It isn’t a basketball team, but a movie production.”

Here is more of Berger’s report:

Hard to believe that the Knicks would not at least pick up the phone and see if there is a deal to be made with the 66-year-old Jackson, who has won 11 championships.

Then again, maybe it really isn’t all that hard to believe.

Mike Woodson Changing Agents To Satisfy New York Knicks, According To Report

An odd barrier has reportedly kept Mike Woodson and the New York Knicks from discussing a contract extension for the coach: Woodson's agent.

According to USA Today, the Knicks approached Woodson last week to tell him they wanted to begin contract discussions with him, but wouldn't do so as long as Woodson remained represented by Joel and Keith Glass.

Since the discussion with the Knicks, Woodson has reportedly severed his relationship with Off the Glass Entertainment and is considering whether to sign with Creative Artists Agency, which represents current Knicks Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith.

The Knicks are reportedly against doing business with Off the Glass Entertainment because the agency negotiated a $20 million settlement for Larry Brown in 2006 when Brown and the Knicks parted ways.

For more on the Knicks playoff basketball, check back to this SB Nation New York StoryStream. Meanwhile, this StoryStream has everything on New York's coaching search.

If Knicks' Next Coach Isn't Mike Woodson, It Should Only Be Phil Jackson

It's only fair that Mike Woodson is given the Knicks' coaching job full-time. That is, unless Phil Jackson wants the job.

Mike Woodson Denies Report Of Contract Extension Discussions With New York Knicks

Mike Woodson denied a report on Tuesday that he and the New York Knicks have entered contract talks to keep him the team's head coach moving forward after this year.

The New York Daily News reported that Woodson and the Knicks have begun preliminary discussions to keep Woodson in the Big Apple after this season. But during the Knicks' media availability Tuesday, Woodson claimed otherwise.

"Absolutely, we have not," he said, as quoted by Adam Zagoria.

Woodson helped the Knicks to an 18-6 finish to the regular season, and roped New York's first postseason win in more than a decade on Sunday. But rumors have been flying for months that the Knicks are prepared to throw big money at Phil Jackson or John Calipari after the season concludes.

For more on the Knicks playoff basketball, check back to this SB Nation New York StoryStream. Meanwhile, this StoryStream has everything on New York's coaching search.

Knicks, Mike Woodson In Talks About Contract, According To Report

Despite being on the brink of being eliminated from the postseason, the New York Knicks seem to like what interim head coach Mike Woodson has done in his limited time at the helm. The success has possibly conviced the organization Woodson deserves at shot at being the ful-time coach.

The Knicks have initiated talks that would keep Woodson as the team’s head coach for the foreseeable future, the Daily News has learned. The talks are only in the preliminary stages but it is clear that Madison Square Garden management is convinced Woodson is the right man for the job and will not pursue either Phil Jackson or Kentucky head coach John Calipari.

Phil Jackson Could Be Offered Huge Deal To Coach New York Knicks, According To Report

Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire have both supported New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson, giving their votes of confidence to the interim coach who helped turn around the Knickerbockers' season. But regardless of how well Woodson coaches, rumors will fly that the Knicks want a bigger-name coach to take over after this season.

The latest rumor sounds a little far-fetched, if only for the amount of money the Knicks are reportedly prepared to offer Phil Jackson. According to the Racine Journal-Times, the Knicks are willing to offer Jackson an enormous contract if they are knocked out in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

If the Knicks don't advance beyond the first round of the playoffs, I'm hearing they'll make a major -- repeat, major -- push to lure legendary coach Phil Jackson out of retirement. With money being no object, the scuttlebutt is the Knicks brass may offer the 'Zen Master' a four-year, $50 million deal.

For more on the Knicks, please be sure to check out our blog Posting And Toasting aliong with SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.

Carmelo Anthony Would Like Mike Woodson Back For Next Season, No Issues With Mike D'Antoni

John Calipari 'Not High' On New York Knicks' List Of Head Coaching Candidates, According To Report

Mike Woodson is doing his best to be retained as the New York Knicks' head coach after his interim title disappears following this season. But the Knicks certainly could still decide to make a sexier hire from outside the organization.

If they do, reports the New York Post, don't expect it to be John Calipari.

Marc Berman of the Post reports that signs indicate that Calipari "is not high on the Knicks' list." The current Kentucky head coach just won his first national title and would certainly be a higher-profile hire than Woodson.

But the Knicks are now 12-4 under Woodson despite injuries to Amare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin, and the organization likely has reservations about the way Calipari's first professional coaching stint unfolded -- he went 72-112 in two seasons and change with the New Jersey Nets, getting fired after starting his third season 3-17.

For more on the Knicks, be sure to check out our blog Posting And Toasting along with SB Nation New York for all the news and updates.

John Calipari To The New York Knicks?: Let The Rumors Begin!