Woodson 'ecstatic' about potential 2nd stint with Knicks

Mike Woodson is among 11 known candidates in the running to become the next bench boss of the New York Knicks, and he couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to return for a second head coaching stint with the team.

"I'm ecstatic. ... When you leave a job, you would hope that you leave on your own terms," Woodson told Eddie Johnson and Antonio Daniels on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "But that doesn't happen in our profession very often. I was just hoping one day to get a shot to come back and I think this is a wonderful opportunity now.

"I thank the Knicks for reaching out to me and putting me in position. That's all you can ask for as a coach when you go out and start interviewing for these jobs. So, I'm excited about it, I really am."

Woodson joined the Knicks as an assistant in 2011 and was named interim head coach in March 2012 following Mike D'Antoni's resignation. The 62-year-old earned the full-time job after guiding New York to an 18-6 record to finish the 2011-12 season.

During the following campaign, the Knicks won 54 games and their first postseason series since 2000. Woodson's emphasis on 3-point shooting then has become the norm, and he wouldn't stray away from the same strategy if given another shot with New York.

"When I look back at it, I think our style of play fits how we're playing today, so I don't know if I would change a whole lot there," Woodson said, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. "We led that year when we won the (Atlantic) Division, we led the league in threes taken and threes made.

"We were third or fourth in percentage in shooting the 3-ball and we were No. 1 in not turning it over. So, offensively, we were right in position with how teams play."

The Knicks took a step back in 2013-14, posting a 37-45 mark, which led to Woodson's firing. He then joined the Los Angeles Clippers' coaching staff and remained with the team until May 2018 before resigning from his position.