Mike Woodson: New York Knicks Reportedly Set to Give Woodson Long-Term Extension

Mike Woodson is about to have the "interim" dropped from his title, as he is reportedly nearing a long-term deal with the New York Knicks.

Newsday's Al Iannazzone reported the news on Monday based on "multiple sources," adding that the deal should be done "in the next couple of days."

Woodson took over the coaching duties when Mike D'Antoni unexpectedly resigned on March 14.

The Knicks had an 18-24 record at the time and finished the regular season by going 18-6 under Woodson. They lost to the Miami Heat in five games in the first round of the playoffs. 

There was a ton of speculation that the Knicks would go after a high-profile coach, but Woodson's strong finish—and backing from the team's star players—no doubt helped sway management toward locking him up. 

Iannazzone reports that Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler were all on board with Woodson returning. 

That is obviously a huge factor in the coach's return. There were always rumblings of a rift between D'Antoni and Anthony, and there was even a report by Marc Berman of the New York Post that Anthony wanted D'Antoni fired. He resigned not long after that report. 

It doesn't take a whole lot of reading between the lines to come to the conclusion that the Knicks decided appeasing their superstar came before pleasing the coach.

The fact that Anthony backed Woodson is likely the biggest reason there will not be a coaching turnover in New York. 

This is Woodson's second stint as a head coach in the NBA, his last being in the 2009-10 season. He went 224-292 over his six-season tenure with the Atlanta Hawks.