When Phil Jackson took over as the Knicks’ president of basketball operations last season, he made a series of sweeping changes. He replaced head coach Mike Woodson with Derek Fisher, and dealt former Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler to the Mavericks for Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin and other pieces.
Woodson, now an assistant under Doc Rivers with the Clippers, spoke to reporters Wednesday night following the Clippers’ 111-80 blowout win over the Knicks, and criticized the move to trade Chandler.
From the New York Post‘s Marc Berman:One thing is for sure: Woodson would have fought to keep center Tyson Chandler, whom Jackson couldn’t jettison fast enough the day before the NBA draft.
“Had I stayed on board, I probably would’ve pushed to keep Tyson and keep the core group together because that’s what won the 54 games two years ago,’’ Woodson, now a Clippers assistant, said Wednesday night before his new team clobbered the Knicks, 111-80. “But people change. You got to live with it. They’ve had a tough season so far.
“Hopefully they can rebound this summer and put some pieces together and get back to winning basketball games.’’That’s easy for Woodson to say now that he’s moved on, but after the way last season ended for the Knicks, big changes were in order regardless. Chandler wasn’t going to be a long-term part of their future, and trading him also allowed Jackson to get rid of Raymond Felton’s contract. Chandler has been great in Dallas, but he’s more valuable there than he would have been on a rebuilding Knicks team.