The Knicks president said Monday morning that head coach Mike Woodson and his staff have been fired.
The dismissal comes shortly after the Knicks completed a 37-45 season that began with their belief they were a serious contender.
Instead, they started poorly, making Woodson's job security practically a season-long distraction. A late surge wasn't good enough for a postseason spot or another year for Woodson.
Jackson has won an NBA-record 11 championships as a coach. He has repeatedly said he's not interested in returning to the bench, so he will have to hire someone before he turns his attention to the roster. The team said the coaching search begins immediately.
Jackson said he has a "tremendous amount of respect" for Woodson and the team "owes a great deal of gratitude" to him and his staff. Jackson called this an "extremely difficult" season and said "blame should not be put on one individual."
"But the time has come for change throughout the franchise as we start the journey to assess and build this team for next season and beyond," he added.
Woodson, a former Knicks first-round draft pick, was hired as an assistant coach before the 2011-12 season, then engineered an 18-6 finish after replacing Mike D'Antoni on an interim basis the following March to capture a playoff spot. Given a multiyear deal two months later, he then led them to a 54-28 record last season and the Knicks' first Atlantic Division championship since 1994.
New York then beat Boston in the playoffs, its first series victory since 2000, and general manager Steve Mills picked up next season's option year on Woodson's contract before this season began.
But the Knicks were saddled with some early injuries, including center Tyson Chandler's broken leg, and Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan was already considering about replacing Woodson by December, when he met with Jackson at a holiday party and talked to him about coaching the team.
CORBIN WON'T RETURN TO JAZZ
The Utah Jazz have decided not to offer coach Tyrone Corbin a new contract, ending his tenure with the franchise, the team announced on Monday.
Utah will start their search for a new coach immediately, and it obviously prefers someone who can take on a rebuilding process that is in its infancy.
"Ty has always represented the Jazz franchise in a first-class manner both on the court and in the community," Jazz CEO Greg Miller said. "He did a wonderful job of building relationships with the players and encouraged their growth throughout the season."
Corbin took over when Jerry Sloan retired and the franchise was still in position to compete for a playoff spot. That quickly changed, however, and Corbin coached the Jazz to a 25-57 record last season with mostly rookies and second-year players. He was 112-146 over four seasons.
Before Corbin took over as coach, he worked as an assistant under Sloan through the 2004-2011 seasons. That stint came after a 16-year NBA career that included three seasons in Utah from 1991-94.
ADELMAN RETIRES
As his 23rd season as an NBA coach entered the home stretch, Rick Adelman looked tired.
Tired of trying to wring a few more wins out of a talented, defensively deficient roster. Tired of getting on an airplane at midnight after a game and landing somewhere across the country at 3 a.m. Tired, most of all, of putting his wife Mary Kay and her lingering health issues second to a job that, when done right, is all-consuming.
So when he finally decided to step away, announcing his retirement from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, he did so with mixed feelings about the pressure-cooker life he is leaving behind and the one that awaits him.
"It becomes your life, your family's life, an everyday routine," Adelman said of the NBA. "It's a real grind. You get some time off in the summer but it's pretty much on your mind all the time, so there's some sadness but there's also a relief. I'm ready and my wife's ready to move on to another phase. We're looking forward to that."
Adelman and the Timberwolves had a mutual option in place in the four-year contract he signed in 2011. His announcement did not come as a surprise after the Wolves finished a disappointing 40-42, but it nevertheless marked an unceremonious end to a career that includes 1,042 victories, putting him eighth on the NBA's career list. He coached Western Conference powers in Portland and Sacramento and also had stops in Golden State and Houston.
NBA ADMITS MISTAKE
The NBA has issued a statement acknowledging that the incorrect call was made when Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard picked up his sixth foul in Sunday's 122-120 Game 1 overtime loss.
Portland Trail Blazers center Joel Freeland should have been called for a foul and Howard should have been awarded to free throws, according to the NBA release.
After Rockets guard James Harden's missed 3-point attempt, Freeland held Howard as they vied for the offensive rebound. Howard rose to reach for the ball and was called for the foul, ending his night with 10.8 seconds left on the clock.
"After video review by the league office, we have determined that the officials were incorrect in assessing a foul to the Rockets' Dwight Howard with 10.8 seconds remaining in overtime," the statement said. "The foul should have been on the Blazers' Joel Freeland and Howard should have been awarded to two free throws."
BULLS' NOAH WINS DEFENSIVE AWARD
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year.
The league announced the award Monday afternoon. Noah joins Michael Jordan in 1988 as the only Bulls players to win the award.
Noah got 555 out of a possible 1,125 points, including 100 out of a possible 125 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Indiana's Roy Hibbert (166 points, eight first-place votes) and the Los Angeles Clippers' DeAndre Jordan (121 points, eight first-place votes) came in second and third, respectively.
Noah averaged career highs of 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists this season.
The recognition comes after he helped Chicago win 48 games and capture home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs despite losing Derrick Rose to a season-ending knee injury and trading away Luol Deng. It also comes at a time when he's getting about as much praise for his ability on offense after being known primarily for his defense and rebounding.
Noah has improved in a big way in that area since he was drafted out of Florida in 2007 and was the Bulls' most valuable player this season. He's a focal point on offense, with the ball often being funneled through him, and he remains their anchor on defense. His ability to cover ground and rotate onto smaller players in pick-and-roll situations creates havoc for opponents. He averaged 1.5 blocks.
JEFFERSON TO TOUGH IT OUT
Charlotte Bobcats center Al Jefferson will not cause any further damade to his plantar fascia injury by playing on the hurt foot, team doctors told reporters.
Bobcats medical staff told Steve Clifford there is no risk of Big Al further injuring the foot if he plays. All a matter of pain tolerance.
Jefferson played on the injury in Game 1 of his team's first-round series against the Miami Heat, even after he said he heard something pop and immediately called timeout, removed his shoe and retired back to the locker room.
Jefferson returned, but was seriously limited. Before suffering the injury, Jefferson was 4-of-4 from the field for eight points, and he finished the game 9-of-17 in total.
Original details of Jefferson's injury did not sound promising, as Bobcats coach Steve Clifford told reporters that "something ripped" with his plantar fascia.
That description worked in line with Jefferson's appearance. The big man labored down the court and left the arena in a walking boot. He continued to nurse the injury Monday. He did not practice with the team and continued to wear the boot.
BEVERLEY TO PLAY IN GAME 2
Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley re-injured his right knee in Game 1 of his team's first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, but suffered no further damage to the knee and is expected to play in Game 2, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.
Beverley met with the team doctor this morning. But prior to the MRI that revealed Beverley's knee to be in good shape, there was concern within the Rockets franchise that the injury could be severe.
The team was worried because Game 1 of the playoffs was only Beverley's fourth game back since he suffered a small tear to his right meniscus. It was already a shock that he returned so quickly from the initial injury, so further damage could have equaled the end of his season.
Beverley is important for the Rockets because of his ability to defend on the perimeter and harass ballhandlers in the point guard rich Western Conference. While he is not a pure point guard himself, Beverley has improved his shooting and helps get others involved because of his team-first approach.
Beverley averaged 10.2 points, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game in the regular season.
RAPTORS' GM FINED FOR COMMENTS
Toronto general manager Masai Ujiri was not initially fined for screaming "F*** Brooklyn" before a large gathering of fans prior to Game 1 of the Raptors-Nets series, instead receiving a formal warning from the league for his statement.
But after further consideration, NBA commisioner Adam Silver decided to fine Ujiri $25,000 for his Brooklyn remark. Most were almost certain Ujiri would receive a slap on the wrist for his comments, which were out of character for NBA front-office types.
There was excitement in Toronto because Saturday marked the Raptors' first playoff game since 2008. Fans planted outside the Air Canada Centre to celebrate the occasion, and Ujiri got on the microphone at some point. Then he uttered words none of us expected.
What fueled belief that Ujiri would be fined was the non-apology he gave in response to backlash from his statement.
"You know how I feel," Ujiri said. "I don't like them, but I apologize."
GINOBILI WELCOMES ADDITION TO FAMILY
Less than 24 hours after Manu Ginobili helped deliver a Game 1 victory over Dallas in the Western Conference playoffs, he helped deliver something even better.
Ginobili's wife, Marianela, had the couple's third child on Monday morning. Baby boy Luca came via planned C-section, and Ginobili was able to attend the birth in the morning and get to practice later that afternoon.
Ginobili also has 3-year-old twin sons, Dante and Nicola. He says being in the room for the birth far exceeded any of the three NBA championships or Olympic gold medal that he's won in the past.
Contributors: Tadd Haislop, DeAntae Prince, The Associated Press
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