Mike Woodson could replace Tom Crean at Indiana
The New York Daily News reports that if Knicks coach Mike Woodson gets canned, he could get the job at Indiana. Not the Pacers, but the Hoosiers, who lost in the first-round of the Big Ten tournament Thursday and could look to replace coach Tom Crean.
Mike Woodson is a long shot to survive the anticipated purge at MSG. However, he may have a job lined up sooner than later. According to a source, Woodson would be a top candidate at his alma mater, Indiana University, if current coach Tom Crean does not return. The source claims that several prominent IU boosters are pushing to buy out Crean and install Woodson, a product of Indianapolis, as the coach.
Woodson, according to a team source, has been resigned to the fact that this would be his last season with the Knicks even before last Friday, when the Daily News first reported that Madison Square Chairman James Dolan had offered Phil Jackson a front-office job. Jackson has said on numerous occasions that he is no longer interested in coaching.
this seems like a really stupid move and a not very credible rumor.
Why would it be a stupid move? Crean has made, what, 2 NCAA tourney's in 6 years and flamed out last year with two lottery picks on his team? And I know people will talk about the sanctions, blah blah blah. But this is Indiana you're talking about. You can pull elite talent, fairly easily, year in and year out. Crean has done that, but he just isn't performing.
I think he gets up the shirts of more than just us M fans.
As much as I think Crean is total doof, I cannot see this happening. Still........
How is Crean a huge upgrade from anyone?
Uh, successful as Izzo assistant, Final Four coach at Marquette, took Indiana from disaster to Big Ten champions...he's not a bad coach.
Izzo has been just fine without him. Dwyane Wade took them to that Final Four, not Crean. Sure they won the B1G, but by a hair and then they flopped in both tourneys. They have MASSIVELY underachieved this year.
He makes no halftime adjustments and his teams turn the ball over and can't read a zone.
He's a bad coach.
March 14th, 2014 at 10:04 PM ^
Is cool. Vests rule
March 14th, 2014 at 10:05 PM ^
Is cool. Vests rule
Watch the games instead of quoting misleading results. IU is horribly coached and underachieve. Even last year with their lottery pick talent, they played like they had never seen a zone in their life vs. Syracuse even though they had five days to prep for it.
Crean is bad. The proof can be accrued with your eyes.
this does not mean Tom Crean is Bad Coach
Woodson seems like a guy who would only stay 2-3 years then jump back to the NBA at the first opportunity. I support replacing Crean but IU is a destination job in college basketball and they should get someone who will stick around for a while.
this is pure conjecture or based on something in his past?
March 15th, 2014 at 12:54 AM ^
Well, that's often how pro coaches seem to work. If a guy's spent most of his career in the NFL, NBA, etc., that's generally where he prefers to be. Look at a guy like Bill O'Brien. No one expected that guy to stay at the college level. Having said that, I don't know Woodson's history.
Knick fan comment: Nice to know Indiana boosters are as stupid as James Dolan.
As long as he can clap and tell Yogi Ferrell to go do something awesome he won't be a downgrade.
but why would IU kick him out. He turned the program around, got them to the S16 in 2012, got them an outright title in 2013 and another S16. I know this year has been bad, but they lost a lot of close games but they have great talent coming back if Yogi stays (which he should).
They were bounced out of the sweet sixteen with two of the top 4 selections in the 2013 NBA Draft.
For comparison's sake, another coach that had 2 1st round NBA draft picks (in the top 25 selections) in 2013 went to the national championship game and nearly won it. You may know of him.
There is no excuse for blueblood IU basketball to backslide and miss the NIT like they have this year. For comparison's sake, imagine your favorite, blueblood football team going 7-6 and gettin bounced out of a crap bowl game.
Oh...wait...
Agreed. If you can barely make the sweet sixteen with two of the top picks in the NBA on your team, you aren't that good.
Basketball is BY FAR the easiest major sport in which to reload with talent. Have one good recruiting crop and you can be sweet during their freshman year. That's why talk about sanctions or IU sucking when Crean arrived is stupid. Tom Crean has brought in blue chip talent, he just hasn't coached that talent very well. No excuses.
Crean has a seriously messed up relationship with an AAU program in Indianapolis. AAU is what it is, but that stuff seems unusually shady, which is saying something.
Fact check time. Just curious how the peer group fares. Sweet 16 or worse in bold.
- 2001 Michigan State (#5, #19)-final four
- 2002 Duke (#2, #3)-regional semifinal
- 2004 Connecticut (#2, #3)-champion
- 2005 North Carolina (#2, #5, #13, #14)-champion
- 2006 Duke (#5, #11)-regional semifinal
- 2006 Memphis (#16, #17)-regional final
- 2007 Ohio State (#1, #4)-runner up
- 2007 Florida (#3, #7, #9)-champion
- 2007 Georgia Tech (#12, #19)-first round
- 2008 UCLA (#4, #5)-final four
- 2008 Stanford (#10, #15)-regional semifinal
- 2009 Wake Forest (#16, #19)-first round
- 2009 Louisville (#11, #14)-regional final
- 2009 North Carolina (#13, #18)-champion
- 2010 Kentucky (#1, #5, #14, #18)-regional final
- 2010 Kansas (#11, #12)-second round
- 2011 Kansas (#13, #14)-regional final
- 2012 Kentucky (#1, #2, #18)-national champion
- 2012 North Carolina (#7, #12, #13)-regional final
- 2012 Connecticut (#9, #12)-first round
- 2013 Indiana (#2, #4)-regional semifinal
So it happens. The only coach that's had it happen in the last 14 years with top-end talent as strong as Crean's was Krzyzewski, although I've got to say that Calipari losing to Huggins in the regional final with four top-20 picks (W Va had two second rounders and a future pro in the Phillipines) was every bit as bad. Calhoun finishing 9th in the Big East with Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb should get honorable mention, too. No, it should get first prize.
By itself I'm not sure this is an indictment of Crean--at least he won a conference title. Almost as bad as Calhoun and Krzyzewski doesn't get you fired.
Some other stuff might, though. The alums I talk to aren't too fond of him, I'll say that.
There's no excuse for missing the NIT at Indiana, at least.
Tom Crean is a dickhead, that we know. However, that dickhead took the IU job when the IU job wasn't so great. He brought them back to being a respectable program, just last year they were one of the top programs in the country with multiple NBA draft picks. Why would IU can him at this point?
One of the top programs? you mean a team with two top 5 NBA picks that couldn't even make the elite 8? He was gifted Zeller returning for another year (plus all the MJ treatment Zeller got from the refs) and still didn't make the elite 8.
Mike Woodson went 72-34 his first two seasons, but this season the Knicks front office put together a joke of a roster and made him the fall guy.
If Woodson gets fired or leaves, I wouldn't be surprised either way.
Who in their right mind thinks Mike Woodson knows how to coach? Last I checked a Carmelo "isolation play" wasn't an option there.
I really hope this happens. Good riddance for us, good luck to IU
I don't care what Indiana does. The thing is, for Michigan, this is a win-win situation.
- If Crean stays, it helps our recruiting in the state of Indiana.
- If Crean is canned, with the transition, it could well help our recruiting.
Indiana basketball could be in a freefall, especially if their two best players leave for the NBA.
Both should leave, but I think only Vonleh will. Vonleh will be a lottery pick and has huge upside. Ferrell was awesome this year and I just can't see what another year would do for him. He's like Burke in my opinion - might not have a huge upside but is a solid pick as-is.
If Vonleh doesn't leave, something doesn't seem right. It is hard to wrap my mind around all that talk that he might come back. He's a high first round pick.
March 14th, 2014 at 10:07 PM ^
Where's the threat?
March 14th, 2014 at 11:14 PM ^
Very unlikely. Crean has a gigantic buyout, something like $14 million if he's fired now. And he wouldn't be fired a year after a B1G title anyway.
Isiah Thomas? That may permanently ruin the program.
Great call. You've got my vote.
This is silly. Crean is going nowhere.
Because he just signed a new contract before last season and has an $8 million buyout.
This is 100% a rumor planted by Woodson's agent.
Hope Crean stays forever