As with any major news event, there's plenty of opinion from the New York Press. But if you ask Van Gundy I'm sure he'd say that his resignation was nothing more than a blip on the radar screen.

"Shock, just complete shock," forward Kurt Thomas said in describing the team's reaction to the New York Times.

To a man, the players denied feeling betrayed because Van Gundy was leaving 19 games into the season. Many of them said their respect for him increased because of his desire to spend more time with his family.

"I really respect and admire him," the veteran point guard Mark Jackson said. "He simply wanted to spend more time with his family, wanted to spend more time with his daughter. You've got to respect that."

Former MSG President Dave Checketts told the New York Post that he believes Van Gundy. "You can't understand how hard he is on himself and what a standard of excellence he has for his own performance and his own commitment," said Checketts.

So what does Ernie Grunfeld think? Grunfeld, the Milwaukee Bucks' general manager, was forced out of a similar job with the Knicks in 1999 after a power struggle with Coach Jeff Van Gundy.

"I don't know very much about it," Grunfeld said to the New York Times about Van Gundy's resignation. "The timing is very surprising. I'm sure he had his reasons and we all wish him the best."