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.