I think the fact is, once you hit your 6th or 7th year with a team, you have trouble reaching your players emotionally. Van Gundy probably felt he could no longer push his players to be better so it was time to step down. Maybe Chaney can give the team a new perspective and get them fired up again. I was watching the press conference with Chaney and liked the things he said. He explained that defensively nothing was going to change, but offensively he wanted to push the ball more and play more fast-paced. This is definetly a good approach so i think he will do a nice job.

Players reactions:

Kurt Thomas:

It is a complete surprise to the whole team and we wish him the best.

He didn't really give any specific reason, it's just something he's been going back and forth with. I think he has a lot of things going on with his family. I think with the World Trade Center incident, a lot of things just piled on.

Marcus Camby:

Shocking. Definitely unexpected considering we've been playing pretty well lately. He says he wants to be with his family, so you can't knock a man for that.

He's been a major force behind the resurgence, despite the bad start we got off with. I always just wanted to go out and win for him.

He said he wants to be with his family and who knows, it could be more than that, but I only go by what he has told us.

Mark Jackson:

He has been different, but we have all been different. He lost a close friend on September 11th. I think he is thinking about his family.

He is a great man and a great basketball mind, someone I will always have a relationship with and I'll cherish my time with him him dearly.

I simply think he wants to spend more time with his family and his daughter.

He has put his stamp on this team and this organization. We lost a great one today.

The way that we continue to play and get after it is only a result of what he has put into us as a basketball team, individually and collectively.

It's not about 'Let's do it for the Gipper,' it's about that he instilled some things that are the key to winning.

He is going to be missed. Just listening to him tell it to us, you couldn't help but get choked up and wanting to break down.

Allan Houston:

A state of shock.

I thought about how big a person you have to be to step away from your passion for a real priority, which he felt was his family. We're disappointed. It's kind of a glum feeling. It's kind of like losing a family member.

Nobody saw it coming. Jeff had been contemplating a lot because he was missing his family. We all thanked him for where he has taken us, to a level where we've never been before.

We control right now how hard we play, how we stick together and how we maintain what we've established and what Jeff's established. The mindset and the heart and the passion of the Knicks is the same.

I like Don (Chaney -- Knicks assistant coach). He has been around and he knows what we have tried to do. I have played for him. I know he is one that will demand a lot, but at the same time he will put a lot on the players to get the job done.

Link:http://www.msgnetwork.com/nba/home//index.cfm?subnav_key=default&cont_id=85486&table_name=st_cont_text&table_cd=a&subnav_key=nba_nyk

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