Atlantic Notes: Woodson, Brown, Noel

While the Knicks have returned to their losing ways of late, the Nets appear to be stabilizing as a winning team. Star point guard Deron Williams credits Jason Kidd‘s development as a coach for the change, per Stefan Bondy of New York Daily News. “I think since [former assistant coach Frank Lawrence] has left…He was leaning on (Frank) a lot,” Williams said of Kidd. “Now I think he’s coaching the way he wants to and doing things the way he wants to so that’s what you’re seeing.” Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

• Ian Begley of ESPN New York thinks that Knicks head coach Mike Woodson could soon be back on the hot seat, wondering if he has lost the locker room during their current four-game losing streak. He has been at odds with multiple players, most recently with star center Tyson Chandler.
• Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders thinks that it’s time for the Knicks to trade away both Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, citing the team’s mediocrity and the salary burden that could come with Melo even if he did re-sign with New York. Since the team would likely have to give a max contract under his Bird Rights, they would be committing to over $26MM a year for one player through his early thirties. Beer thinks a wiser course is to get something in return for him now, struggle for two years (the Knicks have their 2015 draft pick, but not their 2014 pick) and maintain large cap space heading into the potentially huge free agent market of 2015.
• Sixers coach Brett Brown used the time afforded by the team’s lengthy coaching search to research the job and ponder whether he wanted to take it, as he tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe. Brown also says he sees “Ryan Anderson-type” stretch power forwards as a lasting innovation.
• Brett Brown also said that it’s possible that Sixers rookie Nerlens Noel, who they took 6th overall in last year’s draft, could miss the rest of the season despite recently gaining medical clearance to play, per Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “I mean, anything’s possible,” says Brown. “I mean at this stage, we’re moving forward and he’s doing a good job.”