NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy blamed the New York Knicks front office - not their coach, Mike Woodson - for the team's poor season. Van Gundy also seemed to indicate he has no desire to coach the Knicks again, the New York Post reports.
New York looks far from the 54-game winning team they were last season. With a 3-13 record, Woodson has incurred the brunt of the blame. Van Gundy, however, doesn't believe Woodson is at fault for the losing record.
"This isn't a coaching issue," Van Gundy said on Wednesday during an interview with ESPN Radio, via The Post. "This is a roster issue. The absolute most important position on any professional team is the people in charge of picking the players. They have to be talented enough and fit together and have an intangible. It's a hard job but an important job. The last thing the Knicks have is a coaching issue."
Glen Grunwald, the longtime Knicks general manager, was replaced in the offseason by Steve Mills. Van Gundy pointed to the "nonexistent" depth on the roster as evidence of the front office's poor personnel decisions, something which is out of Woodson's control.
"Mike Woodson is an outstanding basketball coach who does an outstanding job," said Van Gundy. "How can a guy go from being brilliant to being on the proverbial hot seat 16 games into the next season?"
Van Gundy, who coached the Knicks from 1996 to 2001, has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Woodson. The current ABC/ESPN analyst, though, appeared to indicate he has no desire to return to the sidelines of Madison Square Garden.
"It has some people thinking I'm behind the scenes plotting my return and Mike's demise - my goodness," Van Gundy said.
He declined to comment to The Post on his coaching future.
The Knicks visit the Barclays Center on Thursday to play the Brooklyn Nets.
