Steve Kerr speaks, and other post-Woodson notes

Mike Woodson's gone. The Knicks' whole coaching staff is composed of open seats (except for one, maybe). Let's take a look through the fallout. Note that some of these "fallout" links were put online before Woodson got fired. Folks saw this coming.

- The first thing you'll want to see/hear is Undisputed Frontrunner to Replace Mike Woodson Steve Kerr speaking on SiriusXM Nba Radio this afternoon. You can listen to the whole thing here. Here's what Kerr said:

"I do anticipate talking with Phil Jackson at some point. But when that time comes it will come but for now there's really not a whole lot to talk about. This is the NBA. Coaches basically know when they go in that they are likely to be fired. It's a brutal business, it's a brutal profession. I think back to a year ago when the Knicks were one of the best stories in the league, they won 54 games, I thought Mike Woodson was one of the top coaches in the league. He did a fantastic job. And then everything fell apart this year for a number of reasons. Tyson Chandler's injury was a major factor. I thought the JR Smith suspension early in the season threw the team off right from the start. And then some personnel moves that didn't work out. They lost a lot of veteran leadership from last year's team - guys like Jason Kidd and Kurt Thomas - and they were replaced by younger players who probably weren't as equipped to handle the adversity that the team faced this year. So I think this was largely circumstantial but this is the way the NBA works, the coach is usually the first one to pay. I feel bad for Mike, I think he's done an excellent job in New York, but between the struggles of the team this year and the new regime with Phil Jackson I think this was - and I don't think I'm the only one saying this - I think the writing was sort of on the wall the last couple of months. And now here we are."

Kerr: "We've (Phil Jackson and I) remained close over the years, since he retired from coaching, even while he was coaching the Lakers, I would often have dinner with him on the road if I was playing for another team even, just to catch up. I went to his daughter's wedding a few years ago in Montana. We've been very close. And so I've known for years that Phil wanted to do this - not necessarily in New York, I thought he was going to end up in Seattle last year if the Kings had moved to Seattle to become the Sonics - but I knew that he was done with coaching [and] that he was more interested in being a team president and building a franchise. And I think he'll be very good at it. It's going to be very interesting and obviously my name is being thrown around. I do anticipate at least being part of the conversation and we'll see where it all goes."

So, yeah, Steve Kerr remains Undisputed Frontrunner to Replace Mike Woodson.

- Regarding potential assistants:

1. Marc Berman hears that longtime Jackson assistant Jim Cleamons is interested in joining the Knicks in some capacity. Though Clarence Gaines Jr.'s hiring was never really announced, he's already working for Jackson in some vague role. He was in Portsmouth with everyone (EVERYONE. They really want us to know how many people were there.) last week.

2. Berman also hears that the new coach "will be encouraged by the organization" to give the just-fired Herb Williams a new job. You were supposed to butt out, Dolan.

- J.R. Smith gave some quotes about the Woodson firing and Steve Kerr's candidacy.

- Zach Lowe has the best breakdown of how Woodson's system...broke down and Yourman Devine has the best proseon everything that happened during Woodson's tenure (a lot!).

That's what's up right now. It sure does feel like Steve Kerr will become the Knicks' next coach, but we don't know yet whether Phil Jackson will cast a wider net.

Update: Nice summary of what's to come from Howard Beck.

Update: From Jeff Zillgitt:

Kerr is part of the conversation, and the two sides are deep into discussions, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the Knicks' situation.