The Knicks wrapped up their season-ending media obligations by ushering head coach Mike Woodson and team president Glen Grunwald in front of the masses at their facilities Tuesday.

Neither wanted to discuss personnel decisions going forward but were eager to effuse praise on a team not many pegged to even go this deep into the postseason. Grunwald, specifically, refused to get into the specifics of what he plans on doing with the roster this summer, but he did allow that changes will likely be made.

“[The team’s salary cap] probably is not likely to get under the [luxury]-tax thresholds, but sign-and-trades are available, although you just can’t acquire a player that way if you’re over the threshold,” said Grunwald. “I think there are some opportunities. We’ll see how it all plays out. Free agency is always a little unpredictable. … But I think we can be creative. I think we got some ideas in what we can do, but we have to be aggressive and creative in terms of our approach to this offseason.”

Grunwald went on to explain that while the Knicks appear to be hamstrung with the tax, he feels confident minor maneuvers can be made to tinker with the roster’s depth, while maintaining the core of Woodson’s group.

“You can trade players, but I don’t think that’s our focus. Our focus is to continue to build this core team. I think some continuity, some familiarization, further growth as individuals and a team, I think that’s what we have to do,” Grunwald said. “We have to continue to buy in as a group to what coach Woodson’s trying to do here. It’s what we all need to do to play a role to be successful.”

According to Woodson, his players all bought in this past season and he’s looking forward to stacking on another training camp to further emphasize his schemes.

“For the most part, I still say that based on where we started and how we assembled our team, this was, to me, a wonderful season and it was a major step in the right direction,” said Woodson. “To win our division, [and] to secure the second seed, people didn’t think we could do none of those things. Some of our goals were met, so all wasn’t bad. I think we made a major step. I think we were able to win some of our fan base back and to me, that’s what’s most important.”

Woodson did have a few complaints, though, about the state of the team — specifically on offense. The long-time coach has never really led a team with great inside presence, as both his former Hawks teams and this current batch of Knicks played inside-out.

“For the most part, we were a jump-shooting team this year, except when we did post Melo [Carmelo Anthony],” said Woodson. “Rasheed [Wallace] helped us early on the block, but we just didn’t have a major low-post game and that might be an area that we might look at as well.”

Overall, Grunwald said, the 2012-13 season was a success for a Knicks team that became relevant again — a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since the early 2000s.

“I thought we could have played better, but we didn’t, so we have to look at that and find out why we didn’t play as well as we could,” said Grunwald. “I’m disappointed in the [ending of the] season, but I’m not at all discouraged in this team. I’m very excited about the future. Obviously we have some work to do. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re going to do all we can to get where we want to go.”

Knicks notes …

» Woodson was asked about Amar’e Stoudemire’s minutes restrictions going into next year, as well as his role in the foreseeable future, and was rather vague.

“We’ll have to play that by ear,” Woodson said. “We’ll obviously wait for the doctors and see where things wind up next year. … We’re hopeful [that Stoudemire comes back next season 100 percent], but there’s no guarantees.”

“That will be for us to determine where our roster winds up next year and where everyone else is,” Grunwald said on Stoudemire’s status going forward. “I thought he had a great role in terms of where Woody put him to be successful in terms of coming off the bench. And whether that continues next year or not will be determined, but there is no grand plan to say that he’ll start or not start.”

» Jason Kidd sounded like he was one guy that’s definitely coming back, according to both Grunwald and Woodson:

“We had a great meeting, Woody and I had with Jason yesterday,” said Grunwald. “He was a big part of our success and we look forward to having him back next year.”

“Not yesterday [any discussion of retirement]. It sounded like he was coming back,” said Woodson. “I thought he made it sound like, yeah, he’s coming back, but that can change, you never know.”

» Grunwald tried hard to not tip his hand on J.R. Smith’s status, but it sounded as if he’s leaning towards finding a way to keep the Sixth Man of the Year.

“Like I said before, I think it’s best for us to maintain some continuity,” said Grunwald. “The same group, the same core group together, but I’m not going to comment on any individual player because were not finished with our evaluation. … I think for now we’re just going to go through the evaluation. I’m very happy for J.R. He had a great year, obviously. He’s disappointed in how it finished for himself as it is for our team. But I think that’s going to make us stronger and more committed to next season.”

Woodson said he thinks Smith still has to improve in many ways if he wants to take the leap next year from sixth man to trusted team star.

“He’s got to grow as a player. He’s got to grow on and off the court if he plans on being a better player in this league moving forward,” said Woodson. “As a coach, if he’s back here, it’s going to be my job to be sure to continue to push him in the right directions and make sure that he does everything possible to make sure he wins basketball games.”

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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The Knicks went through a light walkthrough session on Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s Game 3 in Indiana. It could be the key off-day of this mini break as it allowed struggling shooting guard J.R. Smith to work on his shot in the comfortable confines of the Knicks’ facilities — far away from the white-hot lights of a raucous NBA arena.

Smith, the mercurial Sixth Man of the Year, hasn’t been the same dynamic player since he elbowed Celtics guard Jason Terry toward the end of Game 3.

But since the Knicks were able to close out the Celtics in six games in the last round and they demolished the Pacers in Game 2 this round — sans an effective Smith — the public outcry against the reserve guard has been negligible.

Smith, who has made it a habit of not making himself available to the media after practice since the elbowing incident, declined to talk again on Thursday, so there’s no telling if his slump is truly getting to him. But according to his teammates and head coach Mike Woodson, all is well in the mindset of the team’s second-leading scorer.

“Shooters go through it so he’s just got to think every time he pulls up to shoot or goes to the rim that it’s going to go in. You can’t back away from it,” Woodson said. “We’ve all gone through it as players. I’ve got faith and believe in J.R., and when he does break through it he’ll be back to J.R. again and that’ll help us even more.”

Woodson added, however, that even if Smith endures yet another horrific shooting night the Knicks have enough depth to weather the rocky times.

“Being a team, everybody is not going to have it every night, and I’ve been saying that since we started this playoff run. But we have other guys who can score,” Woodson said, adding that even if Smith’s shot is temporarily missing he still needs to find a way to contribute. “Some nights it might not be your night, but you’ve still got to do something to help us, or you won’t be playing. Maybe it’s on defense, or coming up with loose balls, taking charges or rebounding the basketball. … That’s how we’ve been all season.”

Carmelo Anthony, who has the perfect mental makeup to play in New York since he’s never too high and never too low, said he, too, has faith in Smith breaking his slump because he believes it’s all in a guy’s head.

“I don’t think he’ll be in a so-called slump for much longer. The only way you get out of a slump is if you put in work in the gym, and he’s been doing that,” Anthony said. “We just need him to be J.R. again [by] having fun and being positive on the court. I tell him to just play ball — relax and play ball. There’s no pressure to try and go out there and make something happen. Just let the game come to you. … I told him to just stay mentally strong. He says he’s in a slump, but I don’t believe that because I’m always trying to stay positive with him. We need J.R. to be aggressive and play his game the same way he’s been doing all season long.”

Smith’s life away from the floor has been scrutinized all season, but since his play never suffered his off-court antics were never seen as a detriment. But now that he’s in a slump, critics are saying those same postgame outings and his fascination with social media are what’s keeping him from turning around his fortunes.

Anthony wanted no part in that topic, but disputed that Smith’s persona off the floor is what’s affecting his shooting percentage.

“I don’t want to speak on that [off-court life], but to me he’s focused. When he’s here, he’s here, and whatever he does in his spare time, he does in his spare time,” Anthony said. “My thing for J.R. is to remain positive, regardless of what’s being said about him. I tell him if you don’t have a positive attitude throughout these situations it makes everything tougher.”

Knicks notes …

» Amar’e Stoudemire worked out again on Thursday and said he’s looking forward to making his postseason debut in Game 3. Stoudemire, who participated in the team’s walkthrough session by running with the second unit, noted he’s brimming with anticipation and thinks he can make an impact and carry out whatever role Woodson wants from him.

“I expect to just contribute the best way I can. I don’t have time to get in rhythm, so I just have to be ready from the start and that’s the way it has to be,” Stoudemire said. “I’ve been in the playoffs my entire career, so I know what it takes to be ready for the postseason and hopefully I’ll be ready for Game 3. … Any time you’re on the floor you have a chance to make an impact on the game. However much time coach puts me on the floor, I’ll be ready to contribute.”

» Stoudemire, who will have a recovery day on Friday, also said he doesn’t think conditioning — or lack thereof — will adversely affect him because his minutes will be monitored.

“I’m not playing 40 minutes a night, so as far as my conditioning is now it’s in great shape in regards to the amount I’m going to play. Now, if I was playing 40 minutes a night, then I’d need more time to get in shape, but as of right now I feel great. … It’s a matter of will. I can play whatever minutes the coaching staff wants me to play. Every day I’ll continue to get in better shape and play however long coach wants me to.”

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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The Knicks bounced back in a big way Tuesday night, but must now suffer the scheduling quirk of having to wait until Saturday night to play Game 3.

But despite the unreasonable waiting time and the stoppage in momentum, a few good things can come from the wait. Point guard Raymond Felton tweaked an ankle toward the end of the third quarter of the blowout win, and did not return, so the extra rest will do him well. Felton was seen limping around the locker room after the win but said during his postgame interview that he’s “fine.”

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson agreed Felton seemed fine and took him out mostly out of precaution because of the damage the 30-2 run did to the Pacers.

Woodson said they’ll need a healthy Felton because of the amount of pick-and-roll they run, and the options that come off of that set.

“Raymond is a big piece of the puzzle. He runs that pick-and-roll great – especially if everybody runs it right and separates correctly [because] then somebody’s always gonna be open,” Woodson said. “When the ball is not stopped, any number of guys have an opportunity to be a part of the play and be a playmaker and either score or pass it. … We’re not the only team that runs it. There’s a number of teams in our league that run it, but it has been a successful play for us throughout the season and Raymond is the reason why.”

The Knicks had a scheduled day off from practice Wednesday, but Felton acknowledged he’ll still be able to get in a light workout, and will “definitely” be ready for Game 3.

Another benefit of the gap between games is that Amar’e Stoudemire will also get the chance to continue to test his knee and see if he’ll be ready for his first appearance of the postseason, Saturday.

Woodson thinks all will be well with Stoudemire’s knee, as it held up during a 3-on-3 full-court session earlier in the week and another workout during Tuesday morning’s shootaround.

“He didn’t have any setbacks after going 3-on-3, and after [Wednesday’s workout] we’ll weigh it out again, and again on Thursday and see where he is,” Woodson said. “And then Friday we’ll try and get him in a 5-on-5 setting and finally see where he is. … If he doesn’t have any setbacks, we’ll probably dress him on Saturday.”

Tyson Chandler is looking forward to getting Stoudemire back in the mix, and feels the break does more good than harm – even if the gap breaks the Knicks’ momentum.

“Obviously we need Amar’e to get time, but the only way to get that is when he is practicing,” said Chandler, adding Stoudemire can even help on the boards despite not being known as a top-flight rebounder. “A lot of times if I am boxing out [Roy] Hibbert and Melo [Carmelo Anthony] is tangled with David [West], we are not able to get the rebound. So, to have him there or have the guards help crash will be a huge help.”

Knicks notes …

Woodson finished third in the Coach of the Year award, behind winner George Karl of the Nuggets (a team loaded with former Knicks) and Erik Spoelstra of the Heat. Woodson received six first-place votes and 26 second-place votes.

Steve Novak didn’t see much action in Game 2 as he’s still working his way through back spasms. Novak only played 4:55 and didn’t score, missing one shot. As of right now, because of his back condition, it appears that 29-year-old rookie Chris Copeland has temporarily passed him in the rotation. Copeland didn’t score in his 11 minutes of action, going 0-of-4.

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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Just when Amar’e Stoudemire was starting to find his rhythm he’s ripped away from the Knicks again.

Head coach Mike Woodson announced his All-Star power forward will miss six weeks after receiving a knee debridement on his right knee. He underwent the same procedure on his left knee in October and did not play until Jan. 1.

The surgery is done to clean out dead tissue in the knee and promote healing.

Woodson called it a “major loss” for the Knicks, who are currently in a fight for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with Indiana.

“I feel for Amar’e because, again, he put a lot of work in this summer to get back out on the court and what he went through at the beginning of camp and now he’s gotta go back in again,” Woodson told reporters before Saturday’s game against the Jazz. “I feel for the young man because he put so much time and hard work in.”

His microfracture surgery in 2005, which caused him to miss all but three games, was on his left knee. But the Knicks forward has dealt with chronic knee injuries throughout his 11-year career.

The “work” his head coach was referring to was an intensive training camp with NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon has taken to tutoring post players in the finer points of offensive footwork since he retired.

Stoudemire has been an important contributor off the bench for the Knicks since his January return. His improved low-post moves have led to 14.2 points per game in just 23.5 minutes per game. Woodson had been told by team doctors to limit Stoudemire’s minutes to 30 per game since his return, something he has recently broken due to the absence of Carmelo Anthony. He has averaged 30.7 minutes and 20 points per game over the last three.

Six weeks from Saturday coincides with the start of the postseason on April 20. If all goes as planned, the team does hope to have him back for the playoffs. In the meantime, recent-signee Kenyon Martin will likely see extended playing time. Chris Copeland will also likely see increased minutes as the Knicks try to make up for the lack of scoring.

Meanwhile, Anthony missed his third straight game against the Jazz. He continues to deal with his own knee issues. The team has listed him as day-to-day with fluid in his knee the past week.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.

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UPDATE: March 7, 10:30 a.m.

Carmelo Anthony was a scratch, as expected, in Wednesday night’s 87-77 win over the Pistons.

Anthony is still listed as questionable for tonight’s match up with the Thunder, but the outlook may be less positive today. Head coach Mike Woodson admitted at Wednesday’s shootaround that Anthony did not just have soreness in his right knee — as previously reported — but had fluid buildup in the knee.

Kurt Thomas replaced Anthony at forward in the starting lineup, instead of Amar’e Stoudemire, against the Pistons. Thomas played just four minutes, however, while Stoudemire contributed 31 minutes off the bench.

————————————-

The Knicks might’ve stumbled on to something in the aftermath of Carmelo Anthony’s knee injury Monday night in Cleveland.

While their MVP candidate remains day-to-day recovering from soreness in his right knee — and is also listed as questionable for Thursday night’s tilt with Oklahoma City — the Knicks might’ve gotten back to the same efficient offense that spurred them to an 18-5 start, and what also propelled them to overcome a 22-point deficit in Cleveland.

Anthony is second in the league in scoring at 28.2 points per game, just mere percentage points behind leader Kevin Durant (28.6) of the soon-to-be visiting Thunder. But as wonderful as Anthony has been this season, the Knicks’ offense runs more efficiently utilizing head coach Mike Woodson’s ball-swing offense, instead of the recent trend of giving the ball to their leading scorer and idly watching him go to work.

The Knicks certainly need Anthony at 100 percent against the Thunder, but should he sit out (they’re 3-4 without him), Woodson should be encouraged that the team has showed they can distribute the scoring responsibilities and are seemingly back to their sharing ways. New York had 23 assists on 36 made field goals against the Cavs. And while none of the starters reached double figures in scoring, the bench carried the way with 70 of the 102 points, which also showed they are capable of generating offense in Anthony’s absence.

Amar’e Stoudemire led the way with 22 points in a season-high 32 minutes — despite Woodson being forced to give his power forward a 30-minute cap. And should Stoudemire continue to ascend and be more comfortable in his expanding role, the Knicks just may finally have someone other than Anthony who’s able to close out games.

“If needed, I’m pretty sure I’ll play however amount of minutes I need to play and do whatever role coach wants,” said Stoudemire.

Since returning to the lineup following a two-month absence after his offseason knee debridement procedure, Stoudemire has averaged nearly 16 points and six rebounds during his 23 games. He’s also converted 63.1 percent of his field-goal attempts and is shooting 81.1 percent from the foul line.

Immediately following the Cavs’ game, Woodson hinted that Stoudemire should be a bigger factor down the stretch – even if Anthony returns for the Thunder game and regardless of the perceived chemistry issues between the two. Woodson also noted, however, that it’s unlikely that Stoudemire will start if Anthony sits out the game.

“The thing with Amar’e is that I’m on a minute restriction, and I’m trying to gauge it as I go along,” Woodson said, adding he’ll experiment with the idea of keeping a bigger lineup that’ll feature Stoudemire, Anthony and Tyson Chandler on the floor more down the stretch. “We’re pretty happy when him [Stoudemire], Melo and Tyson are on the court together. … [Stoudemire] needs to be in the game more at the end, [because] while it’s a tough matchup for us guarding perimeter players, it’s also to our advantage offensively going big.”

And for a team like the Thunder that boasts a frontline featuring the 6-foot-9 Durant, the shot-blocking Serge Ibaka and wide-body center Kendrick Perkins, it may be in the Knicks’ best option to go with the big lineup.

Knicks notes

» Power forward Kenyon Martin was signed to a second 10-day contract on Tuesday, despite playing only five minutes since originally signing with the team on Feb. 21.

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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The Knicks look to get their season back on track Wednesday night against ex-Knick David Lee and ascending Golden State, but the only big men that count to them are the ones who may or may not play.

The playing status of newly acquired power forward Kenyon Martin is still up in the air, as the veteran big man has only scrimmaged on a limited basis and gone through a few halfcourt sets since signing last week. Knicks head coach Mike Woodson was again noncommittal about Martin’s availability, although he sounded as if Martin won’t be ready yet for the Warriors.

“I don’t know,” Woodson said about Martin playing. “He’s still trying to get acclimated to what we’re doing, so we’ll see.”

Another big man the Knicks could use is Marcus Camby, although the veteran may not be ready against the Warriors yet, either, and is more likely to finally suit up against the Wizards on Friday.

“Camby’s getting close,” Woodson said, acknowledging Wednesday is a long shot. “He scrimmaged a little today, so we’ve got to gauge it and see how he feels [Wednesday].”

Camby participated in his second scrimmage on Tuesday and has been practicing with the team for a week now. He hasn’t played since Jan. 10, as he’s been recovering from a sprained plantar fascia. The 38-year-old scrimmaged for the first time last Thursday in Toronto and experienced some swelling in his left foot, but if he responds well on Wednesday and gets through the team’s Thursday scrimmage, Woodson said it’s “likely” Camby will get the green light for the game against the Wizards. Camby has played only 14 games this season, averaging 2.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 11 minutes per game. But his real impact is his ability to eat up positive minutes when spelling Tyson Chandler, or even play in tandem to give the Knicks a real shot-blocking presence.

The Knicks have been shorthanded and undersized all season, so they should be used to this situation. But the Warriors possess a couple of bigs in the All-Star Lee and center Andrew Bogut, who are each capable of dominating the interior, so ideally Woodson would like one of the aforementioned shelved big men.

Golden State may run its offense through the guards, particularly Stephen Curry, but both Lee and Bogut have been instrumental in the pick-and-roll, which means the Knicks need more able big bodies.

Amar’e Stoudemire will be available, but don’t look for him to play a minute over 30, as Woodson acknowledged his cornerstone forward was put on the equivalent of a pitch count.

“He doesn’t need much more than that,” Woodson said. “STAT’s been in this league a number of years and he can get a lot done in 30 minutes. I think if he keeps his mind and body physically ready for it, 30 minutes is enough minutes for him to do damage. … I’m trying not to burn him early and then run out of minutes.’’

Stoudemire hasn’t played more than 29 minutes in any game this season, as Woodson detailed the plan suggested to him by the training staff and team doctor. Whatever coach and training staff suggested, Stoudemire said he’s fine with any scenario and added he can be effective with a minutes-cap.

“I have no problem with that. I could be very productive in 30 minutes,” Stoudemire said. “That’s my motto — be as productive, aggressive and efficient in 30 minutes. I’m looking forward to it. Thirty minutes is OK with me. They understand what it takes to be successful. I’m going off their call. … As long as we’re winning, it’s not hard. [But] when we start losing a bit, it gets you thinking about it.’’

The Knicks and their faithful don’t want to experience the latter. Otherwise, the Stoudemire “pitch count” could be more trouble than it’s worth.

Knicks notes

» The Knicks just aren’t struggling with a lack of size, but their once-deadeye shooting has abandoned them lately as well. Jason Kidd in particular has seen his torrid start vanish. Prior to Jan. 26, the veteran guard’s field-goal efficiency rate was 58 percent. But in the 13 games since, it’s drastically dipped to 27 percent. Woodson wants him to keep shooting, though, and J.R. Smith agreed with that philosophy: “Shooters shoot, so, yeah, I agree. We’re still not really in our same rhythm as we all were before, but we have to keep putting up shots. … Hopefully we’ll make them in games and not just practices.”

» Woodson noted that one way to get out of a shooting rut is to get to the foul line. By doing so, said the coach, a player can relax, concentrate on the fundamentals of shooting since no one is defending the shot and simply focus on getting in a rhythm: “When jump shots aren’t falling, you need to find other ways to put points on the board. And one way is to get to the hole and sacrifice your body and get to the free-throw line.”

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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Knicks head coach Mike Woodson is an optimist, which would explain why he seemed a little flummoxed when asked if losing two of their last three games was a sign of things to come.

“You look at it as two [losses] out of three, but I think we’ve won seven of our last 10 games. That’s how I look at it,” Woodson said. “We’ve got a big, important game [tonight] before we go into the break, so we’ve got to finish it off. Then, we’ll go and sit for three or four days and kind of rethink how we can be better.”
Woodson does not believe fatigue is weighing down his team’s performances — no matter what recent losses to the Wizards and Clippers may have shown down the stretch.

“If that was the case, I don’t think we’d be in the position we’re in today,” Woodson said, dispelling the fatigue factor. “We’ve got 82 games just like everybody else. We’ve got a solid roster, [and] I like the makeup of our team so, no, I wouldn’t use fatigue as an excuse.”

Woodson said he thinks the real culprit isn’t fatigue, but instead the Knicks’ defense, or a lack thereof.

New York allowed an average of 104 points in their two recent losses, meaning the defensive intensity has waned a bit in his eyes.

Amar’e Stoudemire has never been known for his defense, but he’s bought into Woodson’s defensive philosophy.

“We have offensive juggernauts, guys who can score the ball. We have guys who can score and lots of weapons we can use,” said Stoudemire. “I feel we have a great team on both ends, [and] we know it all starts on the defensive end.”

Ultimately, said Woodson, the Knicks have done mostly everything right. He took pride in noting that his squad has led the Atlantic Division wire to wire so far. Some rest during the All-Star weekend, and some fine-tuning once they return will do the Knicks some good, allowed Woodson.

“We still have a lot of season to play and guys have to be committed to our cause, [but] our team has been pretty committed,” Woodson said. “For the most part we’ve been pretty good this season in terms of our play. I’m happy with where we sit today in terms of being at the top of our division. I’ll take that.”

Knicks notes …

» Tyson Chandler went through a half-practice so he could get treatment on his ankle. Woodson said Chandler is fine and he’ll definitely play on Wednesday: “He didn’t hurt it, but it was a little sore. He went through our conditioning part of practice, and then it was a little sore so we pulled him out. He’s just getting some treatment on it.”

» Stoudemire agreed with both Woodson and Carmelo Anthony in that the Knicks are perfect just the way they are, as he eschewed the Iman Shumpert trade rumor: “We’re confident in the guys we have. And we still have guys that are still recovering from injuries. We’re solid where we are and just need to keep improving on what we’re doing.”

Follow Knicks beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.

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