Mike Woodson: James Dolan Will Reportedly Offer Coach a Contract Extension

Although it has been rumored for the past several days, it now looks as if a contract extension is close to becoming a reality for New York Knicks interim head coach Mike Woodson.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, two people familiar with the situation have said that Knicks owner James Dolan has told Woodson that he will be re-signed and will become the team's permanent head coach.

While the Knicks trail 3-1 in their first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Woodson righted the ship by leading the team to an 18-6 regular-season record after taking over for Mike D'Antoni. He found ways to utilize struggling star Carmelo Anthony and was able to get the most out of his top players, while D'Antoni's system seemed to be stifling them.

Woodson led the Knicks to a win in Game 4 and that broke a 13-game playoff losing streak for New York. It may not seem like much, but after being swept by the Boston Celtics last season and struggling to even make the postseason in the years prior, a mere one playoff win is a big step forward for the Knicks.

There were rumors that Dolan might reach out to former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson to gauge his interest, but it looks like the owner is happy with the job that Woodson has done. Although it is unclear what type of contract offer he might receive, Berman suggests that a three-year deal is possible.

According to Berman, the Knicks didn't even bother reaching out to Jackson because he didn't seem to be interested in the position. A source reported that Jackson actually wanted Woodson to get the job because Woodson was drafted by Jackson's mentor Red Holzman.

The Knicks played much closer to the team everyone expected them to be down the stretch and that is despite a rash of injuries that forced stars Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler to miss games. New York has also been without guards Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert in its series against the Heat, so Woodson has had plenty of adversity to deal with.

If Woodson has the opportunity to start fresh next season with healthy stars in Anthony, Stoudemire, Chandler and Lin, it will be extremely interesting to see what he can do. This season hasn't gone as smoothly as many thought it would, but with Woodson seemingly back in the fold, sunny skies appear to be on the horizon.