New York Knicks: Mike Woodson Confesses To Overworking His Veterans

(Flickr.com photo/Keith Allison)

When soon to be Hall of Famer Jason Kidd retired earlier this year, many put the blame on his coach with the New York Knicks, Mike Woodson. Kidd, who was 40 years old and in his 19th year, seemed to be gassed by the end of the season. In the first two months of the season, Kidd shot 44.3 percent from the beyond the arc. After the new year, Kidd shot 28.4 percent. His assist rate fell and his turnover rate rose. Many attribute his decline to being overworked by Woodson. Woodson believed the two point guard system worked best for his team, so Kidd started 27 of the first 28 games alongside fellow point guard Raymond Felton. Then, Felton got injured, leaving Kidd to assume many of his minutes. Through the first 36 games, Kidd averaged 29.5 minutes.

Fast forward to last week; Mike Woodson confessed that he, too, believes he overworked Jason Kidd. Then, last weekend, Woodson pronounced that he was not going to burn Kenyon Martin like he did last year. These reflections by Woodson bring to light one of Woodson’s flaws as a coach: player management.

The Knicks disappointing playoff run may have had a different outcome if Woodson knew how to ration his players better. Going into the playoffs, the Knicks were battered and bruised. Carmelo Anthony was playing through a shoulder tear. J.R. Smith was fighting through a knee injury. Tyson Chandler struggled through his neck injury. Amar’e Stoudemire was just returning from another knee injury and Iman Shumpert was still not 100 percent after his ACL injury. Obviously, injuries are not preventable and wear and tear is going to happen throughout the season, but it seemed Woodson was more worried about clinching the No. 2 seed instead of going into the playoffs as healthy as possible.

No one will ever know whether or not the Knicks would have gotten further into the playoffs if Woodson managed his players minutes more carefully. People will naturally tend to believe that and for the right reason. The Knicks were suppose to be championship contenders. They were a team that could give the Miami Heat a true battle to escape the East. They even proved they had what it takes to beat the Heat, beating them three out of four games during the regular season. One of those was without Carmelo Anthony. Now they have to prove themselves all over again this year.

Woodson’s admission shows that he does not want to ask too much from his veterans like Metta World Peace, Kenyon Martin and Pablo Prigioni this year. It also shows that he has faith in his young talent. Owning up to past mistakes proves that Woodson is trying to learn from his mistakes and become a better coach. Whether or not this method will translate well on the court remains to be seen. The Knicks open their preseason Oct. 9 against the Boston Celtics.