Mike D'Antoni Resigns After 4 Seasons with New York Knicks

Thanks to the emergence of Jeremy Lin and the signing of J.R. Smith, it seemed as if head coach Mike D'Antoni's job with the New York Knicks might have been saved a couple weeks ago. The Knicks have since been in a major funk, however, leading to D'Antoni and the Knicks parting ways.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, D'Antoni and the Knicks organization had differing views of the franchise's future, so they decided mutually to dissolve their relationship.

While the Knicks are currently tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with the Milwaukee Bucks, they have been major underachievers this season. It took the phenomenon of Linsanity to take the Knicks from oblivion back to .500, but since Carmelo Anthony has returned and Tyson Chandler has exited the lineup with an injury, the Knicks have been free falling.

In parts of four seasons at the helm, D'Antoni led the Knicks to just one playoff appearance. They secured the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, but didn't put up much of a fight in getting eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round.

D'Antoni has been under fire for quite some time regarding his fast-paced offensive system. While it can often make for an exciting brand of basketball, it hasn't seemed to fit the current roster of players, and it has also compromised the team's defense at times.

Wojnarowski is also reporting that assistant coach Mike Woodson will serve as the interim head coach.

Woodson was the head coach for the Atlanta Hawks from 2004 through 2010 and helped turn the Hawks into a perennial playoff team.