The New York Knicks are aware that they are in a hole that is getting steeper by the day. The team is sitting at 1-3 after a home loss to the Charlotte Bobcats and now they will be without All-Star center Tyson Chandler for 4-6 weeks. Despite the slow start and injuries hitting the team early, Mike Woodson is not panicked.
"I have been at this thing 30 years," Woodson said via ESPN New York 98.7 radio. "And the one thing I never and will never do is look over my shoulder. I won't do that. I got too much pride for that. I think what we have done here for the last few years, we made some major ground and some major steps. But this is a different year. That team that played and won 54 games is not here. It is my job as a coach to get this team to gel and play at a high level. If I got to always look over my shoulders, then I can't do my job, so that is why I never do that. Try to look ahead, that is what is staring at me right now."
Woodson believes that expectations should still be very high for the Knicks this season despite what the current record might show. The head coach is positive things start to turn around quickly once they get a few wins under their belts.
"Expectations are high and they should be," Woodson said. "I am not running from that as the coach. As the owner, Mr. Dolan being an owner of our team, he has every right to voice his opinion. This is his team, we all work for Mr. Dolan and I am happy to be a worker for Mr. Dolan. But at the end of the day, I still have a job I have to do. Right now our team is not playing at the level where I expect it should be. That is on me. It is not on Jim. It is on Mike Woodson."
Woodson might not be concerned about job security, but the fact is that Dolan has very lofty expectations that he expects to be met. The Knicks opted to pick up the option in Woodson's contract that keeps him with the team through the 2014 season. However, history proves that really does not matter. Last year, Mike Brown got fired from the Los Angeles Lakers just a few games into the season after the team started slow. While it is early, panic should be in the back of his mind.
