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Seeing how under-the-radar it was, you may have missed hearing that Phil Jackson finally agreed to join the Knicks front office this past week. The “Zen Master” has already had a positive effect with the team winning six straight since all the chatter began about Jackson heading to New York. This surge has the team just three games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Even if the Knicks continue on this torrid pace and make the playoffs, not many expect it to be a deep run, especially if they draw Miami or Indiana in the first-round.

What does this mean for coach Mike Woodson‘s future with the team? He has been on the hot-seat for most of the season, and every loss added to the talk that team owner James Dolan would cut Woodson loose. Lately the rumors have been that the team is holding onto Woodson in order to make him the scapegoat for the team’s problems, and use that to convince Carmelo Anthony to re-sign with the team.

No matter how you look at it, the Knicks coaching position will be a hot topic of conversation until Dolan or Jackson come out and definitively say that Woodson will be the coach next season, or until the ink is dry on the contract of whomever they bring in to replace him. Even then the talk might not die down, these are the Knicks after all.

Here are some of the candidates who could be walking the sidelines for the Knicks next season:

1. Mike Woodson: In parts of three seasons with the Knicks, Woodson has a 98-74 record. His lifetime record is 304-360, which includes his time with the Knicks and six seasons with the Hawks. Woodson has been criticized for his lack of in-game adjustments by some of the players as well as the media. There also have been reports that the coach has lost the locker room.
2. Phil Jackson: A long shot, but there have been rumors that Jackson might be willing to coach for a short time just to get the team moving in the right direction. The “Zen Master” has a career record of 1155-485, including 11 NBA titles as a coach, plus one as a player. The other possible reason Jackson could return to the sidelines is a ploy to re-sign Anthony, or to possible try and lure LeBron James, or other big name free-agents to the team. This is also a long shot, because the Knicks won’t have enough cap room to make a big name signing until 2015.
3. Tom Thibodeau: The rumors of Thibs replacing Woodson started before Phil Jackson was hired, so it’s unknown if Jackson would see him as a fit. There’s also the matter of Thibodeau being under contract with the Bulls next season. Thibodeau is regarded as one of the best defensive coaches in the NBA, and his players have extremely positive things to say about the locker room environment he creates. In four seasons of being a head coach, all with the Bulls, he has a 193-102 record.
4. Steve Kerr: Kerr has never been a head coach at any level. He was GM of the Suns for four seasons, and though it has been rumored he wants to try his hand at coaching, he could join the Knicks as a GM instead.
5. Jeff Van Gundy: Van Gundy has been out of coaching since the 2006/07 season. He has a career record of 430-318, and had previously coached the Knicks for seven seasons. He has stated he regrets leaving the team during the 2001/02 season, and reportedly has a good relationship with Dolan.
6. Stan Van Gundy: He’s been out of coaching since the 2011/12 season and is also well regarded around the league. Van Gundy has a career record of 371-208 over eight seasons with the Heat and the Magic.
7. Mark Jackson: A former Knicks player and the current coach of the Warriors in his third season with the team. Jackson’s job has been rumored to be in jeopardy thanks to the team not performing up to preseason expectations, despite their 41-26 record. His career coaching numbers are 111-104.
8. Kurt Rambis: Rambis served as the Lakers’ assistant GM when Jackson was hired as coach He later became an assistant coach under Jackson between 2001 and 2009. He then became head coach of the Timberwolves, and in two seasons with the team compiled a record of 32-132.
9. Brian Shaw: Shaw also served as an assistant coach under Jackson, then spent two years as an assistant with the Pacers before landing his first head coaching job with the Nuggets this year. He is well versed in the triangle offense, which was one of Jackson’s staples with the Lakers. His record with Denver is 29-36, but the team has been devastated by injuries this season.
10. John Calipari: The general consensus is that it’s only a matter of time before Calipari makes a return to the NBA as a coach. Prior to Jackson being hired, it was rumored that the Knicks would pursue Calipari after the season. In 22 seasons as a college coach, Calipari has a 591-175 record. He coached the Nets for parts of three seasons and had a record of 72-112.
11. Jim Cleamons: He won nine championship rings as an assistant under Jackson with the Lakers and the Bulls. He is another coach who is an expert at the triangle offense. Cleamons also played for the Knicks, and was a teammate of Jackson’s as well. He coached the Mavericks during the 1996/97 season, going 24-58. He was fired early the next season after the team went 4-12 to begin the year. There’s a possibility that he could be brought in as an assistant coach as well now that Jackson has taken over.

Who do you think will coach the Knicks next season? Cast your vote and sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts.

The trade deadline passed over a week ago, but this doesn’t mean that GM’s are done making changes to their rosters. It has been a busy week for buyouts, waivers, and players signing contracts to finish out the year with new teams. These post-deadline deals can put the finishing touches on a contender, or help a borderline playoff team snag a spot. Listed below are the signings that have occurred so far. I’ve omitted most 10-day deals because short-term signings won’t have quite the same impact as the ones for the rest of the year. I’ve included the Jason Collins 10-day signing because all signs are pointing to him remaining with the Nets for the rest of the season.

Here are the notable signings thus far:

• Jimmer Fredette signing with the Bulls. This one isn’t official, but it has been reported that he’s reached a tentative agreement for the remainder of the season. The Bulls are hoping Fredette can add some firepower to their offense, which is currently ranked 27th in both three-point makes and percentage this season. Fredette has averaged 7 PPG and 1.5 APG in his two-plus years with the Kings, while receiving minimal playing time due to their backcourt depth.
• The Suns signing Shavlik Randolph for the remainder of this season with a team option for 2014/15. Randolph had been playing overseas in China, where he logged averages of 22.3 PPG and 12.3 rebounds per night, although it was in just six appearances. This move should help bolster the Suns frontcourt depth as the team looks to advance in the playoffs after missing out on three straight postseasons. Randolph is a 30-year-old power forward who’s played for four NBA teams, most recently for the Celtics in 2012/13, where he averaged 4.2 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 16 contests.
• Danny Granger signing with the Clippers for the rest of the season. Granger played in 29 games for the Pacers before being traded to the Sixers, and averaged 8.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 22.5 minutes per contest. He didn’t see any action for the Sixers, and last saw the court on February 19th, when he scored two points in 18 minutes versus the Timberwolves. He figures to get regular minutes in the Clippers rotation.
• The Thunder inking Caron Butler for the remainder of the year. Butler, who turns 34 in March, is in the midst of one of his worst shooting seasons, connecting on just 38.7% of his shots. He’s still making 36.1% of his three-point attempts, and he averaged 11.0 points in 24.1 MPG for the Bucks.
• The Grizzlies claiming Beno Udrih off of waivers. Udrih never quite fit into the Knicks rotation, and the Grizzlies signed him to upgrade their backup point guard slot behind Mike Conley. Beno’s numbers on the year are 5.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 3.5 APG while logging 19 MPG.
• Glen Davis signing with the Clippers for the rest of the season. The 28-year-old is coming off a year in which he averaged 15.1 PPG and 7.2 RPG with a 15.0 PER in an injury-shortened 2012/13.  So far in 2013/14, Davis has averaged 12.1 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 30.1 minutes per contest while struggling again with some nagging injuries. Davis is the only player on the Clippers roster to have won a championship, which will make him a valuable presence in the locker room as well as on the court.
• The Nets signing Jason Collins to a 10-day contract. The Nets have been in search of a big man since before the trade deadline arrived, and that need was heightened after sending Reggie Evans to the Kings as part of the trade that brought Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn. In 713 career games, the 35-year old has averaged 3.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 0.9 APG, in 20.8 MPG. In his first three games with the Nets, Collins has averaged 1.0 PPG and 0.7 RPG in 8.7 MPG.

Now it’s time for your participation. Which of the above deals do you think will have the biggest impact on this year’s playoffs? Vote below and feel free to explain the choice you made in the comments section.

In spite of all the big names that were talked about being moved prior to this year’s trade deadline, only one “big” trade actually happened. That was the Sixers Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen heading to the Pacers in exchange for Danny Granger and a 2015 second-round pick. Outside of this trade, the other deadline moves involved lesser names. No Carmelo Anthony, Thaddeus Young, or Rajon Rondo blockbuster deals that could instantly change the face of a franchise. But even lesser trades can have a huge impact on the playoff races, as well as prove to be the difference once a team is locked into a tough playoff series.

As a refresher, here are some of the deals that were made:

1. The Wizards acquired Andre Miller in a three-team deal that also saw the Nuggets receive Jan Vesely and Sixers receive Eric Maynor plus two second-round picks.
2. The Warriors acquired Steve Blake from the Lakers in exchange for Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks.
3. The Bobcats acquired Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour from the Bucks in exchange for Ramon Sessions and Jeff Adrien.
4. The Nuggets sent Jordan Hamilton to the Rockets for Aaron Brooks.
5. The Nets acquired Marcus Thornton from the Kings for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans. Terry is out for the season to rehab his ailing knee.
6. The Spurs and Raptors swapped Nando De Colo and Austin Daye.

Which of these deals do you think will have the biggest impact on this season’s quest for an NBA title? I’m omitting the Granger-Turner swap from the poll because it was easily the biggest trade of the deadline, and the Pacers are one of the teams that are heavily favored to win the crown. Feel free to sound off in the comments section below as to why you believe a particular deal will have the biggest impact.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Many expect a lot of deals to go down before the February 20 deadline, with the common assumption that a big trade or two could lead to a domino effect throughout the rest of the league. For the second year in a row, Rudy Gay has been the centerpiece for an early in-season blockbuster. The Luol Deng deal between the Cavs and Bulls followed, and there are many more names on the trading block, many of which we’ve highlighted in our Trade Candidates series. There is also a pretty clear line between teams at the top and bottom of each conference, with a handful of teams on the playoff bubble. Teams with title hopes are generally buyers, and teams that have draft hopes typically sell during the trade season, with an oft-lamented tendency for losing teams to “tank” away their season in order to improve their chances at a higher pick. This disparity is a condition that theoretically makes for easier matchmaking for teams with clear needs.

Timberwolves team president Flip Saunders is skeptical of a lot of movement this trade season, describing a gridlock due to heightened values for draft picks. Teams are certainly hanging on to picks more tightly than they have in some previous eras, careful to build rosters around as many inexpensive contracts as possible to avoid paying the increasingly punitive repeater tax levied under the current CBA against franchises that exceed the luxury-tax line in consecutive seasons. Another dampening CBA component is the Stepien Rule, which prohibits teams from trading away first round picks in consecutive years. This rule prevents a team like the Nets from parting with upcoming picks they hold, even though they would otherwise meet the profile of a team willing to deal picks to bolster their short-term championship window.

Those teams on the playoff bubble could swing league activity, depending on how their next couple weeks go and how strong the commitment to a playoff run is in their front office. The Pistons, for example, have won four home games in a row and edged just a half-game behind the current eighth-seed Bobcats. A run like that could remove the temptation for a team like Detroit to give up on their core and part with any of their players for future assets.

What do you think? Will this trade season be “epic,” as ESPN’s Chad Ford has predicted, or will it underwhelm as it has in many years before?