The New York Knicks have finally filled their long vacant assistant coach void today, signing former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson. Woodson is being brought in primarily for his expertise on defense, but doesn't want to be cast as a one-dimensional coach saying, "I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm just a defensive coach. I can help
Mike (D'Antoni), I think, offensively as well." Now that the hiring is official, let's take a look at coach Woodson's resume.
Playing Career
Woodson was drafted out of the University of Indiana by the Knicks with the 12th overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft. Woodson played his first two years in New York before being traded to the Kansas City Kings. After 4 seasons with the Kings, including their first year in Sacramento, Woodson went on to finish his career with 2 seasons in both Los Angeles with the Clippers and Houston. He finished his NBA career averaging 14 ppg on 46% shooting.
Coaching Career
Woodson began his coaching career in 1996 as an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks. After 3 seasons in Milwaukee, Woodson moved on to Cleveland for a short stint as an assistant as well. Woodson then landed a job that would soon catapult his coaching career, as then Pistons head coach Larry Brown brought him on his staff as an assistant. Woodson is credited and most noted for his defensive expertise that helped the Pistons win the 2004 NBA Championship. Woodson then left Detroit when he was hired as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. He got off to a rough start in Atlanta, winning only 13 games in his first season prowling the sidelines. But Woodson turned it around quickly, leading the Hawks to 3 playoff berths in his 6 seasons as coach and increasing the team's win total every year. Woodson left the bench with a bad taste in his mouth, as the Orlando Magic swept his Hawks in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs in what would be the most largest margin of victory in NBA playoffs history (25.3 points).