N.Y. Knicks Coach Mike Woodson: 'I Don't Think I Have Lost the Locker Room'

The New York Knicks have lost a lot of things. 

Tyson Chandler is out of the lineup for the foreseeable future with a fractured right leg, and Raymond Felton has joined him in street clothes with a hamstring injury. But the Knicks have also lost a lot of games, a lot of confidence and a lot of their direction for the 2013-14 campaign.

At least the locker room hasn't been lost, according to head coach Mike Woodson. 

Per ESPN New York's Ohm Youngmisuk, the man on the hot seat went on The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show on ESPN New York 98.7 and said the following about the relationship he has with his team: "I don't think I have lost the locker room. I don't think I have lost players from an individual standpoint."  

He went on to discuss the absence of Felton and Chandler, which he might be secretly thankful for. They're sure giving him a convenient excuse he can use to cover up the shoddy job he's done managing games and rotations for one of New York's two reeling basketball teams. 

For what it's worth, Felton backed him up while appearing on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York 98.7: 

"

No, he hasn't [lost the locker room]. We still respect Coach...He definitely hasn't lost us at all. We love him as a coach, we love him as a mentor, we love him as a father figure. Everything you can think about. We love Coach Woodson.

"

The sentiment is nice, but the actions on the court speak volumes.

New York looks disengaged and disinterested on the court, particularly when attempting to play "defense." I have to use quotes because at times it appears as though New York's point-stopping efforts are only figments of the imagination. 

When a team is completely unmotivated and failing to execute even the most basic plays, the blame has to rest with the coach. As the New York Post's Marc Berman wrote after the Knicks slipped to 3-10 with a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, "Owner James Dolan, in his interview with The Post last week, said Woodson’s job is safe because he hadn’t lost the players and has their 'respect.’' Didn’t look like it Monday."

Even if Woodson still has the locker room, he sure doesn't have the team when its on the court. 

As anyone who has sat on seat warmers in the car during a cold winter day can tell you, it's only possible to sit on a hot seat for too long before you get a little bit too toasty. We'll see how that applies to Woodson as the Knicks' season continues to unfold.