There was little about the Knicks this season that suggested a well-coached squad, and clearly a fresh start was needed. Now that Phil Jackson has sent Mike Woodson and his staff packing, there's already a name being floated that should have Knicks fans excited: Steve Kerr.
On the whole, Woodson wasn't a demonstrably bad coach. According to the coaching plus-minus figures put out by Jeremias Engelmann -- one of the guys behind real plus-minus (RPM) -- Woodson had more or less a neutral impact on the Knicks' on-court fortunes. That falls in line with Woodson's performance against his team's point differentials: Not counting his partial season, Woodson's Knicks clubs should have won 298 games according to their scoring margin. They've won 297.
The problem is that on a roster such as New York's, where the resources have been heavily tilted toward the three frontcourt players -- two of whom (Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler) have availability issues -- it's not the steady hand of a neutral coach that's needed. A creative thinker who knows how to maximize Carmelo Anthony's impact is essential. That's where we look at the success of New York's small-ball lineup from last season to guide us toward Woodson's successor.