Mike Woodson would like to coach the Knicks for Phil Jackson

The Knicks have not yet hired Phil Jackson. Marc Berman hears of Knick plans to hold a press conference next Tuesday and puts forth faintly plausible theories for the delay, but there is still no deal. Nonetheless, Mike Woodson answered questions Thursday about Jackson's growing shadow and offered his own hopes for the near future:

"I would want him to view me as a coach,'' Woodson said. "If and when that time comes, I would just love the chance to sit with him and talk basketball. He's a basketball guy, I'm a basketball guy. This is 30 years I've spent in this league so that's what we'll do, but until that happens my focus is strictly on trying to get this team in the playoffs. That's it.''

If Jackson takes a job and grants Woodson a sit-down, such a meeting will have to take place there, because Woodson will not sit here.

Anyway, good luck with that. Look around and you'll find widespread speculation that, in his still-incalculable new role, Jackson would replace Woodson, perhaps at the end of this miserable losing season. Berman himself goes on to list a number of coachly Jackson kin who seem eligible to step in, including former assistants and players-- Steve Kerr, Brian Shaw, Jim Cleamons-- plus Nate McMillan (a "strong possibility", no reason offered), minus Jeff Van Gundy (because "Big Chief Triangle" is apparently an insult? Seems to me like a pretty impressive nickname.)

Oh, and the Rockets want Carmelo Anthony, which...yeah, they would. Several teams will. That's summer stuff. I can't even consider the potential for such a seismic organizational shift until this potential seismic organizational shift gets settled.

In closing, a discussion question: How much wood would a woodson son if a woodson could son wood?