NEW YORK -- Don Chaney will be the head coach for the New York Knicks for the rest of this season. He has no guarantees beyond that.

Chaney officially was promoted Monday, taking over for the departed Jeff Van Gundy. Team president Scott Layden would not reveal contract terms, but Chaney was straightforward.

"I want to do the best I can do for the duration of this contract, which is this season," Chaney said. "You have to win to have longevity and to survive, but I've been around long enough and I've been in the last year of a contract before, and it doesn't bother me."

Chaney has an agent, Lonnie Cooper, who represents several other NBA coaches. For this contract, though, Chaney said he worked out the details with Layden by himself.

Chaney, who coached the Knicks to a victory over Indiana on Saturday night following Van Gundy's unexpected resignation, inherits a team with an 11-9 record that has been to the postseason every year since 1988.

"I'm going to do the best I can do, and if my best isn't good enough, so be it," said Chaney, who will be in his fourth stint as an NBA head coach.

Chaney was 1991 NBA Coach of the Year with the Houston Rockets. He also coached the Los Angeles Clippers and the Detroit Pistons.

Chaney has been with the Knicks as an assistant for seven seasons.

"I've got to give Jeff Van Gundy credit. He always put together a strong coaching staff with great assistants, and that helps make this a seamless transition," Layden said. "Our focus is on winning right now and keeping this organization in a winning mode."

The Knicks are sixth in the Eastern Conference and third in the Atlantic Division after having won six of their last seven games. They play the Boston Celtics at home Tuesday.

"Don's coaching style is very different from Jeff's," said Latrell Sprewell, the Knicks' leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points.

Indeed, Chaney is more laid back and less critical than Van Gundy, whose constant negativity had worn on some of his players over the years.

Chaney said the team would retain its defensive intensity while mixing in a few new wrinkles on offense. Players have taken that to mean that they'll have more freedom to freelance and to push the ball upcourt without having to settle into the halfcourt offense.

Chaney said he learned from his favorite coach, Tommy Heinsohn, that it can be a mistake to place too much emphasis on stopping the opponent.

"You can't just be a great defensive team and not be able to score. You can't win that way," Chaney said.

The Knicks score fewer points than every team except Chicago, Philadelphia and Miami, but they also are holding teams to 88.7 points per game -- second best in the league.

After losing eight of their first 13 games, the Knicks have played much better _ especially since Marcus Camby returned six games ago.

Camby grabbed 22 rebounds -- one shy of his career high -- in his first game under Chaney.

"With coach Chaney, it's like night and day," Camby said. "We still work hard, but at the end of the day there's more smiles around here now. It's been more laid back, more loose over the last two days. Hopefully, that can be a good sign, and guys can just relax and play their games."