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After making a school visit Wednesday in Connecticut, Chris Copeland spoke with ESPNNewYork.com, reflecting on his first NBA season, summer plans and thoughts on a future in New York.

What factors will be most important to you during your first free-agency process?

"An opportunity to play is huge for me. But honestly, I've had a lot of great, great memories and experiences in New York, and I've met a lot of great people here. I really love it here. It's very possible I'll be in New York. I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be. Just being in that locker room after Game 6 [against the Pacers], I was looking around and I could see everybody that fought together. We're in it together. It's 'New York' across my chest. I didn't take my jersey off for a long time. I just sat there and was staring at it. It's a part of me."

Looking back on the season, was there a moment when you felt like you'd be in the NBA for the foreseeable future?

"It's hard to say because I had my moments where I felt comfortable, but I was never that comfortable. I was like, 'I know this can end.' I've been through so much in my life and I know how fast things can change. I was never like, 'I'm good now,' like I never felt like I can breathe. I always tried to stay as sharp as possible."

You told me the other day, "My head is hurting from the season." What was the root of that feeling?

"I think it was a little bit of everything. There's nothing like playing in the NBA. Your life picks up and it goes fast. It's a crazy lifestyle, but the playoff atmosphere, playoff time, it's even crazier. There's just something about the end of the season. Everybody's chasing titles and making moves. There's a lot going on at once. It was just a lot to handle at one time. I've never been a part of the process, especially playing. Everything is just faster, larger and more people are watching. It's just crazy."

What was the most overwhelming part?

"The travel. I think people underestimate how difficult it can be to travel, and get up and go all the time. You can't be home with any breath of fresh air and just relax for a second. It's like every time you get back, it's time to move again. Not being able to settle and collect your thoughts for a long, long period of time, I think that was challenging for me."

There was a rare situation in the second half of Game 5 against the Pacers when you played alongside Carmelo Anthony, and it worked out well. There was more inside-out offense, and the ball flow and spacing were solid. I could envision that two-man lineup more next season.

"Right, and I think it's pretty interchangeable. I can post, he can post. That would be a great option going forward if I get to come back."

I know you've talked a lot about needing to improve defensively. What was the biggest challenge?

"One-on-one, I'm pretty solid I think. But rotations, I was really bad. I didn't know where to be in certain situations, and when to go or when not to go. I struggled in doing that. But I learned a lot from Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin and Rasheed Wallace. Those guys took me under their wing and taught me so much. I still have a lot to learn."

What's your offseason training plan?

"I'll be working out of Richmond, Virginia, mostly. I went to high school out there and I have some trainers there. Also, some NBA guys like Ben Wallace and Ed Davis. I'll be a much better player next year; that's my goal. My focus is defense, absolutely."

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

Could Iman Shumpert be the elite, all-purpose guard who can complement Carmelo Anthony next season and beyond?

The 22-year-old came off an impressive playoff run just a few months after returning from a left ACL repair, and coach Mike Woodson said Tuesday, "The sky's the limit for that young man."

Even when Shumpert was missing shots in the postseason, he was making up for it consistently with his defense and rebounding -- something J.R. Smith was not doing regularly. While Smith has All-Star scoring potential, he needs shots to go down for him to care more about defense and intangibles. Shumpert, however, is always hungry to guard the best scorer and make the small, significant play.

He just needs to be more involved offensively next season.

"I've got to just keep my game where it is defensively and become more consistent with rebounding the ball," Shumpert said on Monday. "Then, making sure that I become an option scoring the ball."

Woodson is smartly thinking the same thing.

"I think he will be a bigger part," he said. "That was our whole thought process prior to him getting hurt. ... I think this summer will be very pivotal for his growth. He's got an opportunity to be a pretty good player."

This past season, Shumpert mostly played off the ball at the 3 position, watching Smith, Anthony and Raymond Felton go to work on offense. One of the reasons Shumpert moved from point guard as a rookie to small forward this season was because the Knicks didn't want to overwork his surgically repaired knee. In fact, he sometimes guarded weaker players.

But down the stretch, when Shumpert felt more comfortable healthwise, he guarded the best scorer, jumped higher for rebounds, attacked the open court as a one-man fast break, and looked to penetrate more and dunk in half-court sets.

"Shumpert came back during the season, which is tough," former All-Star point guard and current Miami Heat scout Tim Hardaway, who overcame a left ACL tear in 1993, told ESPNNewYork.com. "Guards are running full speed, stopping and going. We've got to pick up full court, we've got to come off pick-and-rolls, we've got to get in the lane, stop, pop. I commend Shumpert at what he was able to do."

Hardaway said Shumpert will return next season "playing a lot better," crediting the consistency of Shumpert's recent play. Hardaway remembers not being the same player right away, but he said Shumpert is further along and "won't have any knee effects."

"What impressed me was his jumping ability and movement, and how strong he was playing day in and day out at a high level," Hardaway said. "Sometimes I played at a high level and then sometimes my leg wasn't there. I could play defense on one play, but I wasn't able to jump off the leg and shoot over somebody. I was very surprised and encouraged with his progress out there."

Hardaway went on to have a long All-NBA career, and he expects "great things" from Shumpert because of his 1 through 3 position versatility. He also respects Shumpert's relentless work ethic, which stems from the Chicago playgrounds where both players honed their skills.

"We have a mentality that we're going to go out there no matter what," Hardaway said. "We have a lot of pride in our abilities. ... If you tell us to go out there and guard a 7-footer, we're going to guard a 7-footer. In our mind, we are a 7-footer, too."

Shumpert has the entire mental and physical package. He just needs to unleash his offense.

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

Iman Shumpert called the Knicks' season a failure earlier this week.

Head coach Mike Woodson disagrees.

He offered a very different definition of the Knicks' season on Tuesday.

"Based on where we started and how we assembled our team, this was to me a wonderful season," Woodson said. "It was a major step in the right direction, to win our division, to secure the second seed, when 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 was more important."

The Knicks deserve credit for winning the division for the first time since 1994 and winning a playoff series for the first time since 2000. But they lost a second-round series to Indiana despite having home-court advantage.

Woodson was criticized during and after the series for his decision to go with a big starting lineup for Game 4, a move that backfired. He was also second-guessed for failing to play Chris Copeland for much of the postseason, among other things.

"I really haven't heard the criticism because I don't read it that much. I'm my own biggest critic," Woodson said.

He then defended his team's performance.

"This was a great season for our team. I don't care how you slice it and dice it," he said. "When we put this team together, this is the first time we assembled the team. I thought we made a major step. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely, across the board there is. This was a positive season for our ballclub; regardless of what anybody says, it was a positive season."

QUESTION: What do you think? Do you view this as a "wonderful" season based on the Knicks' regular-season accomplishments and first-round playoff win? Or has the loss to the Pacers left a bitter taste in your mouth? How would you define the season?

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

So how do you see this Knicks' roster unfolding this summer?

In the annual "Take 'Em or Trash 'Em" voting, Jason Kidd and Amar'e Stoudemire got the boot. Kidd didn't score in 208 straight minutes in the playoffs, and Stoudemire is due $21.68 million next season -- the highest on the team's payroll -- without even a guarantee from Mike Woodson that he'll start.

However, fans stood behind J.R. Smith and Tyson Chandler, even though they were basically no-shows in the Pacers series.

Here are the initial results for this season's voting, starting from the top with the owner:

James Dolan: TRASH (60 percent);
Take (40 percent)

Glen Grunwald: TAKE (77 percent);
Trash (23 percent)

Mike Woodson: TAKE (76 percent);
Trash (24 percent)

Carmelo Anthony: TAKE (93 percent);
Trash (7 percent)

Amar'e Stoudemire: TRASH (65 percent);
Take (35 percent)

Tyson Chandler: TAKE (79 percent); Trash (21 percent)

Raymond Felton: TAKE (81 percent); Trash (19 percent)

J.R. Smith: TAKE (60 percent); Trash (40 percent)

Iman Shumpert: TAKE (97 percent); Trash (3 percent)

Jason Kidd: TRASH (85 percent); Take (15 percent)

Kenyon Martin: TAKE (85 percent); Trash (15 percent)

Pablo Prigioni: TAKE (89 percent); Trash (11 percent)

Chris Copeland: TAKE (95 percent); Trash (5 percent)

Steve Novak: TAKE (62 percent); Trash (38 percent)

Marcus Camby: TRASH (71 percent); Take (29 percent)

James White: TRASH (94 percent); Take (6 percent)

Earl Barron: TRASH (89 percent); Take (11 percent)

Quentin Richardson: TRASH (94 percent); Take (6 percent)

Do you agree/disagree with the results? Any of them surprise you? Leave us your comments below.

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- J.R. Smith wants to retire as a Knick. His younger brother, Chris, tweeted, "I will be back with my big brother" next season. And Carmelo Anthony believes "without a doubt" J.R. will return.

But GM Glen Grunwald is not making any guarantees about the NBA's 2012-13 Sixth Man of the Year.

"I’m not going to comment on any individual player because we're not finished with our evaluation," he said Tuesday. "I don't think you should read that one way or another [about Smith]. I just don’t think it’d be fair for me to start talking about, 'Yeah, we really want him back' or 'Yeah, maybe he comes back.' I think right now we’re just going to go through the evaluation. But I'm very happy for J.R. He had a great year."

AREAS TO ADDRESS: Mike Woodson said he'll evaluate the flaws in the team's offensive style, possibly looking at two main things they didn't have against the Pacers. One was an inside scoring presence.

"We didn’t have a major low-post game," he said. "That might be an area we look at as well."

The second was a lack of uptempo play.

"I just thought our pace was slow, was much slower than it was during the regular season," he said. "A lot of the times when we got stops, we really couldn’t get out and get the ball up and make plays like we were making early in the season and throughout the season."

"FRUSTRATED" CAMBY FELL OUT OF ROTATION: Marcus Camby played just 12 seconds in the Pacers series. Many observers felt Camby may have helped the Knicks in the paint and on the glass, and wondered why Woodson kept him glued to the bench. The Knicks, after all, were outrebounded by an average of 10.4 boards per game in the Pacers series.

Grunwald said Tuesday on ESPN New York 98.7 FM radio that Camby was healthy enough to play but simply fell out of Woodson's rotation.

"The team was playing well and the coach was comfortable with the rotation he had," Grunwald said. "The coach had success with Tyson [Chandler] and Kenyon [Martin], and he decided to keep going with that."

Camby played just 24 games this season. He was limited due to a left plantar fascia injury. Grunwald said Camby expressed frustration with his injuries and lack of playing time in exit interviews with he and Woodson.

"That's certainly understandable," Grunwald said. "But we hope Marcus will be back healthy and ready to help us. That's a very good player that we didn't have access to for substantial periods of time. ... That's certainly a player that can come back and help us."

MELO BACK AT PF? Grunwald said the Knicks may look at offensive sets that feature Carmelo Anthony at small forward next season. Anthony played almost exclusively at power forward this season. He was able to exploit matchups against bigger, slower defenders en route to his first NBA scoring title.

But Grunwald said the Knicks may look to play bigger lineups next season that would feature Anthony at small forward, his natural position.

"I think that's something [Woodson] can look at next year," Grunwald said.

You can follow Ian Begley and Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Memo to Knicks fans daydreaming about Chris Paul playing in an orange and blue uniform next season: general manager Glen Grunwald doesn't expect to make any major changes to the roster this summer.

"In general, it's best to maintain continuity, familiarity," Grunwald said Tuesday on ESPN New York 98.7 FM's "The Stephen A. Smith & Ryan Ruocco Show." "I don't foresee substantial changes to our roster."

The Knicks don't have much roster flexibility this summer.

With $77.6 million in committed salary, they will have only the mini mid-level exception ($3 million per year) and veteran's minimum contracts to offer free agents.

There is a possibility the team could trade players to get under the salary cap, but Grunwald dismissed that on Tuesday. The Knicks can also execute a sign-and-trade to acquire a free agent, though it would be tricky to accomplish that due to CBA restrictions.

A sign-and-trade is one way that the Knicks would be able to obtain Paul, who is a free agent this summer. But it is an extremely remote possibility.

"You can trade players, but I don’t think that’s our focus," Grunwald said Tuesday when asked about the possibility of a sign-and-trade. "Our focus is to continue to build this core team. Some continuity, some familiarization, further growth as individuals and as a team, I think that’s what we have to do."

Grunwald said the Knicks' front office will take a "creative" approach to the offseason.

They have a first-round pick (24th) in the June draft but have no second-round picks. They will have decisions to make on several players expected to test free agency, including J.R. Smith, Chris Copeland, Pablo Prigioni and Kenyon Martin.

Grunwald declined to comment on Smith or other potential free agents. The Knicks will be able to offer Smith a contract starting at around $5 million. Other teams under the salary cap may be able to offer a richer contract.

With Prigioni and Copeland, the Knicks will likely be able to use part of their mini mid-level exception to match offers from other teams, if the players receive such offers.

Grunwald said again and again on Tuesday that he'd like to maintain "continuity" and keep the roster largely intact.

"In general, it’s best to maintain the continuity if you think [the team can] get better. I think we can get better. I think we can play better than we did at the end of the season," Grunwald said. "But that’s not to say we won’t explore all alternatives."

Other highlights from Grunwald:

CHANDLER GAVE 100 PERCENT: Grunwald said Tyson Chandler lost 12 pounds shortly before the playoffs due to illness and, as a result, he wasn't 100 percent healthy in the postseason.

"He wasn't 100 percent, he gave 100 percent of what he had," Grunwald said.

Chandler was badly outplayed by Indiana's Roy Hibbert in the Knicks' playoff loss to the Pacers.

"I know he's disappointed in the team's performance and what he gave in the playoffs," Grunwald said.

The GM added that the Knicks may look into using Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire in the post more frequently next season. Chandler served primarily as the screener on pick-and-rolls this season.

AMAR'E SUCCEEDED OFF BENCH: Neither Grunwald nor Mike Woodson would say whether Stoudemire would start or come off the bench next season. But Grunwald did say that Stoudemire "grew into" his role off the bench with the Knicks this season.

"We're hopeful he'll be able to contribute next year in whatever role Woody decides," Grunwald said.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

James White's agent, William McCandless, told ESPNNewYork.com Tuesday that the small forward will "unlikely" return to the Knicks for the 2013-14 season.

White has a team option for around $1 million next season that the Knicks have to decide on by June 30. If they decline, White will become an unrestricted free agent.

McCandless said White values playing time, which happened sporadically for him in New York. He started 16 games in the regular season and averaged 7.6 minutes and 2.2 points per game.

McCandless said White will field NBA offers this offseason. The 30-year-old is still valued for his versatile defense and transition game. He earned the nickname "Flight" years ago for his Olympic-caliber jumping ability.

"He's going to have NBA interest, for sure. I know that," McCandless said. "More teams like him today than liked him this time last year. More teams feel like he can help."

However, McCandless said White won't hesitate to return overseas, where he spent five years (2007-12) before signing with the Knicks for the veteran's minimum of $854,389. White also has a strong allegiance of fans in Europe.

McCandless said if White wants to make the most money, he'll continue on his previous international path, which could take him to China. Contracts in China, where White could land, are typically higher than European contracts by the month because the season is shorter.

"China will jump out of its shoes at some point and come running on James," McCandless said. "We've had numerous inquiries by power teams in Europe that can pay into the millions."

If the Knicks pass on White, they'll be able to sign another player to the veteran's minimum.

FREE-AGENCY SURPRISES COMING? GM Glen Grunwald used two words Tuesday to describe what the front office needs to do this summer: "Be creative."

"I think we've got some ideas on what we can do," he said. "We have to be aggressive and creative in terms of our approach to this offseason -- not only just in terms of players, but also in getting our existing players better."

Grunwald added, discussing the team's financial wiggle room: "It's probably not likely to get under the tax threshold, but sign-and-trades are available. You just can't acquire a player through free agency, but half of the equation works. I think there will be some opportunities. Free agency is always a little unpredictable. Teams are out there working it. We’ll see where it all turns out at the end."

MELO AND LEBRON TO WORK TOGETHER? Anthony's business manager Robert "Bay" Frazier confirmed with ESPNNewYork.com that he's discussing potential business together with LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul. What those collaborations could be are unknown at this time. Something to keep in mind: Melo and LeBron both have early termination options going into the 2014-15 season.

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Bad news for any Knicks fans hoping Jason Kidd would retire: both GM Glen Grunwald and coach Mike Woodson said they expect Kidd to return next season.

"We had a great meeting with Jason yesterday. We hope he's going to be back and from his comments to us we expect him to be back next year and he'll be a big contributor to the team like he was this year," Grunwald said on ESPN New York 98.7 FM on Tuesday after meeting with Kidd.

Kidd played an important role in helping the Knicks win 54 games in the regular season but struggled mightily in the playoffs.

The 40-year-old was scoreless in his last ten games. The Knicks were essentially playing four on five on offense when Kidd was on the floor. He missed his final 18 shots of the season.

Grunwald on Monday defended Kidd's play in the postseason.

"It wasn’t his role to score," the GM said. "He contributed in so many different ways that it’s hard to list, on and off the court. So I don’t think that was a big factor in our struggles in the Indiana series. Obviously he would have liked to make a few of those shots, but he didn’t. So that wasn’t the reason we lost."

Kidd is under contract for two more seasons but said during the year that he was unsure about playing in 2013-14.

Kidd indicated to the organization that he will be back next year but, as Woodson noted, "that can change. You never know."

Kidd's uncertain status leaves the Knicks with a murky situation at point guard. Raymond Felton is coming back, but it is unclear who will play behind Felton.

Pablo Prigioni is a free agent and is reportedly considering a return to Europe. The Knicks had success with Prigioni and Felton in the back court in a small ball lineup.

If Woodson chooses to go that route again, the Knicks would need someone to share the floor with Felton, assuming Prigioni does not return. Also, given the age of both Prigioni and Kidd, the Knicks may look to upgrade at point guard via the draft or free agency.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim remains a big fan of the superstar NBA player who led his Orange to the 2003 national title, and still follows Carmelo Anthony closely.

But after Anthony's latest ouster from the playoffs, Boeheim is convinced the forward will continue to fall short of a championship if the New York Knicks maintain the core of their current lineup.

"Not on that team," Boeheim told the Syracuse Post-Standard over the weekend. "He did what he can do. He played very well the final game. Everybody's killing him, but Tyson Chandler just didn't try to catch the ball."

Click here for the full news story.

As Carmelo Anthony was winding down his interview with a group of reporters on Monday, someone asked if he thought Chris Paul would re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers this summer.

“I don’t know,” he said.

Everyone assumes, of course, that Paul will re-sign with the Clippers. But no one, Anthony included, knows for sure.

The one thing we do know is, it will be extremely difficult for Paul to end up on the Knicks next season.

With the help of ESPN salary cap guru Larry Coon, we will take you through the scenarios involving Paul and the Knicks.

THE SITUATION: Paul will be a free agent this summer. He can sign a max contract for five years and a total of $107.5 million with the Clippers. He can sign a four-year deal worth nearly $30 million dollars less with another team. He will be seeking $18.7 million in the first year of his new contract.

It’s highly improbable that the Knicks can acquire Paul via free agency. Here’s why:

The Knicks are currently committed to $77.6 million in payroll. Their payroll would have to be less than $41.3 to have enough room to pay Paul $18.7 million in the first year. Trimming that much payroll is nearly impossible given the Knicks’ salary structure.

So that leaves the possibility of a sign-and-trade.

In order to complete a sign-and-trade, the Knicks will need to be below the collective bargaining agreement's “apron” after the trade. The apron, per the terms of the 2011 CBA, is set at $4 million above the luxury tax threshold. For the purposes of this blog, let’s put the luxury tax level at $71.5 million. (It was $70.3 this season.) That means the apron would be $75.5 million.

If the Knicks re-sign J.R. Smith to a $5.6 million contract, as expected, that raises their salary commitment in 2013-14 to $80.3 million. Coon suggests that we bump the payroll up to $82 million for the purposes of this exercise to account for other cap holds that factor in.

Again, Paul can sign for $18.7 million.

So the Knicks need to be under the apron -- $75.5 million – after the sign-and-trade for Paul to make it work. If you take the $82 million we assume the Knicks will be committed to for 2013-14 and add another $18.7 million, you get $100.7 million. Again, the Knicks need to be under $75.5 million after the Paul trade to make it work. So they’d have to send out $25.2 million to make it work.

Let’s say they send Amar’e Stoudemire ($21.7 million) and Raymond Felton ($3.6 million) to the Clippers. They could then take back Paul.

But why would the Clippers do that deal? The only way they’d agree to a sign-and-trade involving Paul is if he said there’s no way he’d re-sign in Los Angeles. He'd also probably have to demand a trade to the Knicks.

Also worth noting: Paul would also only be able to sign a four-year deal with the Knicks if he agreed to a sign-and-trade. So he’d have to be willing to forfeit around $30 million to come to New York -- assuming the Clippers would take back what the Knicks offered.

That’s why it’s highly improbable that Paul ends up in New York.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter. You can also follow Larry Coon on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Tyson Chandler struggled on defense in the Pacers series. But he had no trouble defending himself Monday in the face of questions about his performance.

When asked if he felt he let his team down in the series against Indiana, Chandler said, "No, no. You can’t let the team down if you give them 100 percent. I gave my teammates everything I had and I’m fine with that."

A large segment of the Knicks' fanbase may disagree with Chandler there. The Knicks' center was thoroughly outplayed by Roy Hibbert over six games.

For the series, Chandler averaged 6.2 points, 6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 29 minutes per game.

Hibbert averaged 13.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks, including a 21-point, 12 rebound performance in Game 6.

Chandler admitted Monday that he wasn't 100 percent healthy during the series. He suffered back, wrist and knee injuries in Game 5. He also struggled with his conditioning and timing early in the playoffs after missing 16 of the Knicks' final 20 regular-season games due to a neck injury.

"I wasn’t where I wanted to be. I wish I could have got a couple games in before the playoffs started," said Chandler, the center on the NBA's first team All-Defense. "I feel like I never really got in a rhythm. But that’s just kind of how it went. I tried to give the team everything I had. I gave them 100 percent, gave them what I had. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough."

Chandler said his neck wasn't an issue after the Celtics series. But his timing just wasn't there after the long layoff. He was missing "the rhythm you get in with (teammates) being used to me being on the court, used to me, feeding me in certain positions, defensive rotations, all of that."

Chandler doesn't anticipate needing surgery to heal his injuries. He also hopes to work on his offense in the offseason.

"I definitely want to be more involved, more consistent on the offensive end," he said.

NOVAK 'FRUSTRATED': Sharpshooter Steve Novak played seven minutes or fewer in all but two of the Knicks' playoff games. He played a total of nine minutes in the Pacers series.

He admitted Monday that he was frustrated with his role.

"It was definitely frustrating for me not to be a bigger part of it but those are the rotations and decisions that Coach went with," Novak said. "I understand that he's always faced with tough decisions when it comes to guys and playing time and that kind of thing.

"It was frustrating but we've talked and we talked during that series as well," Novak added. "It didn't work out the way we wanted so you can always look back and question everything but that's how it goes."

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, NY -- Carmelo Anthony will have his injured left shoulder re-examined by doctors in the coming days to determine the extent of damage and course of rehabilitation.

"I don't think it's any major damage," Anthony said Monday after meeting with the Knicks' coaching staff for exit interviews. "But we'll see. We'll find that out shortly."

Anthony first injured his shoulder on April 14 against the Pacers. He said Monday that it affected him throughout the postseason.

For the full news story, click here.

Here are other highlights from Anthony's session with reporters on Monday:

• On free-agent-to-be J.R. Smith returning to New York: "J.R’s a special player. To me and to everybody on this team, he made a huge step forward as a basketball player. ... I definitely would love him back here."

• On Amar'e Stoudemire's knee injuries: "As a friend it's hard for me to sit back and watch somebody that I wanted to come in and play with go through some of the things, the ups and downs, the hurdles that he had to leap and the injuries that he had to go through and still not be as strong as he could be. As a friend and as his guy I would want him to be as healthy as he can be, do whatever it takes to get back healthy."

• On the standard the Knicks have set: "We kind of teased the city of New York a little bit. Because now everybody expects us to play at this level, this high level. That's where we hold ourselves accountable and (we'll) push ourselves in this offseason to come back and be at that level or even better."

• On his input into free agency: "I’ll leave that up to the front office. If they want my input they know how to get in contact with me. We’ll be in contact throughout the offseason. But I’ll leave that up to them. That’s what they do."

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

This isn't exactly breaking news, but Charles Barkley has no sympathy for Knicks fans.

"If you guys had listened to me six months ago you wouldn't be so depressed today," Barkley said Monday on "The Mike Lupica Show" on ESPN NY 98.7 FM. "I told you, I said three things: No. 1, those old geezers can't stay healthy, which happened. You can't keep shooting 3's like that. The biggest problem they got, they can't rebound the ball. They got a little bit better when Kenyon Martin came along but that was going to be the thing that always came back to (hurt them)."

The Knicks were outrebounded by an average of 10.4 boards per game in the Pacers series. They were outrebounded in each of their four losses.

"You've got to be able to rebound the ball man, you can't get hammered night after night because, what happens, it puts so much pressure on your jump-shooting," said Barkley, a longtime Knicks antagonist.

Barkley believes the Knicks didn't have the personnel to match the Pacers on the front line. He called Indiana "one of the most physically imposing teams that I've seen in the NBA in a long time."

Barkley, a TNT analyst, also said the Knicks need to add a big man to help defend and rebound.

"That's their biggest weakness," he said. "If they don't find a big guy to help Tyson Chandler ... it's going to be Groundhog Day."

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Add Marcus Camby only playing 12 seconds against the Pacers to the head-scratching moves Knicks coach Mike Woodson made in the series.

While the Pacers outrebounded the Knicks by 52 over six games, Camby was sitting on the bench pain-free, according to his agent, Richard Kaplan.

"He has been healthy for a while now. I'm not sure why he didn't play," Kaplan told ESPNNewYork.com. Camby had been suffering from plantar fasciitis in his left foot down the stretch of the regular season.

Adding to the confusion, Tyson Chandler said Monday that his "strength and physical presence" were lacking against the Pacers, after having lost 10 pounds from the flu. Woodson preferred to play small ball for more offense, but the Knicks could've used Camby.

Camby, 39, who's signed through 2015, will likely return next season. "He's under contract and there is no question they can use him, so one would expect he'd be back," Kaplan said.

• So what's next for some of the other Knicks? ESPNNewYork.com was at the Knicks' practice facility on Monday to collect information.

J.R. Smith: Carmelo Anthony, for one, would like to see Smith back with the Knicks.

"He made a huge step forward as a basketball player," Anthony said. "For him to come out, win the [Sixth Man Award], helping us to win a division title, helping us to win 50-plus games, he was a big part to this team. I definitely would love him back here."

Kenyon Martin: When asked to put his GM hat on, Martin said, "If I say anything, it's bring Kenyon back."

Martin said he's "got a lot in the tank" and would "love to be back."

"I think I proved to people I can still play at a high level," he said. "I had a great time here. Everything's first class, the best team I played on, one of the best-run organizations -- the way they treat the guys -- that I've been around."

Jason Kidd: He's signed through 2015, but hasn't confirmed whether he's returning. His teammates aren't sure of his plans, either.

"I don’t know where his mind is right now," Chandler said. "I think right now everything is so emotional. We're fresh off the series. It's hard to get that out of your mind, especially being a competitor. But I think he should take some time with his family."

Chris Copeland: Copeland, who is from New Jersey and developed well in his rookie season with the Knicks, wants to return.

"To be here has been a dream come true, but to stay here, this place means the world to me," he said. "This is the first team to really give me a shot and give me a chance."

Copeland knows his free-agent value has increased -- "I've grown being under [Woodson's] wing," he said -- but the forward said he's not money-driven.

"If you look at my career overseas, I've never chased the highest bidder. I've never been that guy," he said. "When I'm comfortable, I usually tend to stay in one situation. Finance plays a part, but I have a lot of emotional ties here."

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- "We failed."

That's how Iman Shumpert summed up the Knicks' playoff exit.

"We failed to do what we were supposed to do," he said Monday after his exit interview. "We know we were supposed to go farther, and we didn't."

Shumpert reflected on where the team ran into trouble, saying the offense needs to be adjusted next season.

"We need some more continuity as far as running something that everybody knows we're in it -- just something with more pace," he said. "We have a lot of dead possessions where we don't really have any cohesiveness. We're just sort of out there and it becomes watching whoever has the ball."

Starting center Tyson Chandler chimed in as well, saying there needs to be more consistency in the overall game play.

"We're further along than we were last year, but we're still not there yet," he said. "We have to be more consistent next year in all areas, and that's something for all of us to take into this offseason and come back with."

Chandler also said the team needs more offensive balance with less perimeter play. He even spoke about wanting to become more of a threat inside.

"I definitely want to be more involved, more consistent on the offensive end," he said. "I would like for us to develop some consistency with our offensive game play. Right now, we're a jump-shooting team. I would like for us to have a free-flowing offense that we all can be comfortable with."

The Knicks also had problems against the Pacers on the boards, and Shumpert knows that needs to be corrected next season.

"We've got to hold each other accountable and come next year, little things like not playing hard should never come into play," he said. "Getting beat on the boards when we know that's a point of emphasis in the series shouldn't happen. We've got to take care of the little things."

Carmelo Anthony agreed on the accountability factor, saying, "The more time you spend with each other, the more time you're able to be around each other, that stuff -- holding people accountable -- it comes naturally."

Depending on who you ask, there are different feelings on how the team will look next season. On one hand, Raymond Felton said the current squad needs time to blossom.

"We're just fine," he said. "When you start making too many changes, you can't build on something. When you're going to be successful, a team has to be together for a while. This is our first year together."

But on the other hand, Steve Novak envisions several changes.

"Things are going happen in this offseason I think," he said. "I imagine that it'll be a different look next year."

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.