Don Chaney was just as stunned as everyone else when Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy resigned last week.

"First of all, Jeff has been a friend for seven years," Chaney said Thursday afternoon before the Knicks' 99-97 loss to the Pistons.

"There have been times when things were going bad when he talked of resigning, then things would turn around. We had a bad stretch early in the season. He called me one night and said, 'Hey, I just resigned.' It was like weight had dropped off his shoulders. He felt like he definitely wanted to spend more time with his family. Being a head coach in New York every second of every day, you're under scrutiny."

But that didn't stop Chaney, formerly a Knicks assistant, from taking the job for the rest of the season, with a raise from $375,000 to $1.2 million. He has until then to prove he's the best candidate for the job. Chaney has an all-time record of 266-384, including stints with the L.A. Clippers, Houston and the Pistons, with whom he was 48-116.

"I'm ready to devote all my energies into this job," Chaney said. "When I signed on for the rest of the season, the word interim was never used. I have to get this team into the playoffs."