Mike D'Antoni is no longer head coach of the New York Knicks coach.
Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the devlopment via Twitter.
Wojnarowski initially reported that D’Antoni resigned, but followed that with a tweet that said the decision was mutual as there were “conflicting visions of club's future.DEVENEY: Is Patrick Ewing the next Knicks coach?
The decision comes amid multiple reports of discord within the Knicks' locker room, most notably a souring relationship between D’Antoni and star forward Carmelo Anthony.
The Wall Street Journal reports that D'Antoni resigned “after realizing his coaching style did not mesh” with Anthony. D'Antoni "realized over the course of the last few weeks that Anthony was never going to play his style of play.”
"(Knicks owner James) Dolan is blaming the coach,” a source told the site. “Tyson (Chandler), Baron (Davis), Amare (Stoudemire)— guys who came to play for Mike—or that system—are pissed. (Jeremy) Lin isn’t happy either.”
The Knicks are 18-24 overall and 2-8 in their last 10 games after a seven-game winning streak spearheaded by Lin while Anthony sat out for six of those games with a groin injury.
D'Antoni compiled a record of 121-167 during his four-plus years as Knicks coach. The team made the playoffs just once under him, last year, when they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round.
Former assistant Mike Woodson will take over head coaching duties on an interim basis. Knicks assistants Phil Weber and D'Antoni's brother, Dan D'Antoni, are also out.
While speculation about D’Antoni’s permanent replacement will surely turn to Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan may be interested in the position, sources close to the retired Utah Jazz coach told SI.com.
Sloan, who was pursued by several teams this summer, told SI in January that he was thinking about coming back.
"I think if the right situation came along, whatever that is," Sloan told the site. "I don't know what the right situation is. We'll have to wait and see, I guess."
University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, meanwhile, responded to talk on Twitter that he could become the new man in New York. “As I’ve said before, I have the greatest job in basketball at any level,” Calipari tweeted. “Why would I be interested in another job?"
Those comments echo Calipari’s response when asked recently by Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy whether any part of him wants another shot at the NBA.
“Nah. I’m good. My whole thing right now is, I’ve got maybe the best job in basketball. You could argue the point. But I would tell you, I’ve been here three years. We changed teams all three years. But I’m still getting good enough guys to sustain.
“The NBA’s a different deal. The last time I went, financially it was a factor. I became the highest-paid coach in the NBA. I don’t need to make decisions based on finances, where before—someone comes at you with $15 million? What? I’m in. Let me try. I think I can do this. I mean, it wasn’t the only reason. But let me tell you, it played a part. Now, I don’t see a number that would make me say, 'I’d do it because of that.'"
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