Mike D'Antoni has resigned as head coach of the New York Knicks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is reporting.
The coach reportedly cited the fact that he and team management have "conflicting visions of the team's future."
D'Antoni took over the team at the start of the 2008-09 season. His tenure at Madison Square Garden was often interrupted by major roster changes, as management worked to offload salaries and attract big-name free agents like Amar'e Stoudemire. Last year's team, which featured Stoudemire and trade deadline acquisitions Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, reached the playoffs - D'Antoni's first and only trip to the postseason as Knicks coach. But Billups and Stoudemire were both injured during the series, and New York was swept by the Boston Celtics.
Expectations were particularly high for the Knicks at the start of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, thanks in part to the addition of free agent center Tyson Chandler. But without a true point guard to run Mike D'Antoni's offense, the team struggled badly. Expectations were raised once again due to the surprising emergence of Jeremy Lin as the Knicks' starting point guard, but the team struggled to adapt once Anthony returned from an injury and is currently mired in a six-game losing streak.
Assistant coach Mike Woodson is expected to take over the team on an interim basis.
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