The New York Knicks have opted to retain coach Mike Woodson until at least 2015. The organization has picked up the option on his contract for the 2014-15 season, the team announced Monday.
“I have long respected Mike and think he has done a remarkable job since becoming the head coach of the Knicks,” team president and general manager Steve Mills said in a statement. “After spending time with him recently, it is clear that picking up his option is an easy decision.”
There were rumors that if the Knicks were to underperform this season, the team may have declined the option for 2014-15. They have put an end to that speculation.
Woodson led the Knicks to an 18-6 record as interim coach in 2011-12. Earlier that season, he was an assistant under Mike D’Antoni. The team officially made him head coach during the 2012 offseason and signed him to a two-year deal with an option for a third year.
Woodson has turned the Knicks into a winning organization again. Last season, he led the Knicks to its first Atlantic Division title since 1994, with a winning record of 54-28. Woodson is 72-34 since replacing D’Antoni at the end of the 2011-12 season. He also has a .679 winning percentage—the second best in Knicks history.
