GREENBURGH, N.Y.

“We’re in the period of time now where we have an opportunity to be successful,” Grunwald said of the team’s short window to compete for a title. “We were somewhat successful, not as successful as we wanted to be. We’re going to continue to try to improve this team.”

Grunwald said he would do his due diligence and try to improve the team through trades and free agency but the Knicks are limited and anyone dreaming of Chris Paul is probably living in a fantasy-world.

According to ShamSports.com, the Knicks payroll will be approximately $77 million, about $19 million over this past season’s salary cap of about $58 million.

They only have the mini mid-level exception and the veteran’s minimum, and also own the No. 24 pick in the June 27 NBA Draft. They do not own a second-round pick.

“I think we can be creative, I think we’ve got some ideas on what we can do,” Grunwald said. “But we have to be aggressive and creative in terms of our approach to this offseason, not only just in terms of players, but in terms of getting our existing players better, and I think that’s going to be a focus of what our coaching staff and training staff will be doing this offseason.”

**As far as J.R. Smith, who is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent although he has said he would like to retire as a Knick, Grunwald said he wouldn’t address Smith specifically but sounded like he would like to re-sign the volatile shooting guard who won Sixth Man of the Year honors.

“I think in general it’s best for us way to maintain some continuity, the same group, the same core group together, but I’m not going to comment on any individual player,” he said.

He added: “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 for next season.”

Woodson said he believes Smith — whose production dipped dramatically after the Game 3 elbow of Jason Terry against the Celtics — must “grow on and off the court if he plans on a being a better player in this league going forward.”

“As a coach, if he’s back here, then it’s going to be my job to make sure that I continue to push him in the right direction and make sure that he does everything possible to help us win basketball games,” he said.

**Woodson did not seem pleased with what Amar’e Stoudemire brought after coming back from his second knee surgery. “I think STAT could’ve really helped us in that area [low-post scoring]…The fact he just wasn’t I don’t think where we needed him to be based on his injuries, that kind of hurt us a little bit,” Woodson said. “Because when he did come back the first time, I thought he was great for us on the block and gave us some kind of inside shooting coming off the bench.”

Grunwald called Stoudemire — who averaged just 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in the postseason — a “heckuva player” but said “the question is his health and how much he can play.”

It’s possible he could face a minutes-restriction again next season.

“Yes, it’s a possibility,” Grunwald said.

“We hope he will be able to play significant minutes for us next year, how much that will be we don’t know at this time.”

As to whether Stoudemire will start or come off the bench, Grunwald said, “It will be determined on what Woody decides is best for the team and what gives us the best chance to win.”

Said Woodson: “A lot’s going to depend on where he is once he sets foot in vet-camp in terms of health-wise and minute restrictions. That may be the case….All of that is going to play a major role in STAT in terms of where we go with our ballclub.”

**On Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks said he will have an MRI on his left shoudler at some point this week.

Grunwald said he also believes Anthony — who finished third in the MVP voting — can still improve his game.

“I don’t think you can say that Carmelo can’t improve, I think he can improve,” Grunwald said. “I think he worked very hard and I think he will improve.”

**On 40-year-old Jason Kidd, who went scoreless through the final 10 games of the postseason and is signed for two more years, Grunwald said he expected Kidd to return next season instead of potentially retiring.

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

Of a potential retirement, Woodson said, “That can change, you never know.”

Grunwald continued to say that “it wasn’t [Kidd's] role to score. He contributed so many different ways that it’s hard to list on and off court so I don’t think that was a big factor in our struggles in the Indiana series…That wasn’t the reason we lost.”

**Grunwald defended his decision to sign a slew of older players in Kidd, Marcus Camby, Rasheed Wallace, none of whom made significant contributions in the postseason (Wallace had retired by then).  ”Obviously, you prefer to have them healthy  but a lot of players are not healthy at the end of the year but we were able to compensate by having enough other good players around to help us get through the season,” he said.

**Chris Copeland and Pablo Prigioni are both non-Bird restricted players.  It remains unclear if Prigioni’s wife wants to remain in the U.S., but Copeland said Monday he would like to remain with the Knicks.

**As for whether the Knicks need a more reliable No. 2 scorer behind Anthony, something Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim  criticized the Knicks for lacking, Grunwald said: “We like our team. We’ll try and get better. But there’s something to be said for keeping this group together, letting them go and improve, learn from our past mistakes and overcome those past difficulties.”

**As for Boeheim’s comments themselves, Grunwald said: “Jim’s a great coach and he’s obviously very loyal to Melo so I understand where his comments came from.”

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The league is working in partnership with the “Guns Down, Life Up” organization and  with Ballers Convention, which promotes the slogan, “Shoot Basketballs, Not People.”

The league will have 12 teams, including two comprised of local high school players, and will run on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from June 12-September 15 at Paterson Kennedy and Paterson Eastside High Schools. Fans can attend games for free.

Thomas and current NBA players Tyshawn Taylor and Kenneth Faried are among those on the rosters.

“This is mainly for our city,” Thomas, the 36-year-old former Paterson (N.J.) Catholic star who played for numerous NBA teams, including the Knicks, 76ers and Bulls, told SNY.tv.

“We’re not concerned with media coverage. We’re just trying to do this for our city and save our youth. There’s a lot of crime and murders.”

Thomas said the league wanted to promote a “generational” feeling in which high school players could compete against current college and NBA players, as well some of the legends of Paterson like Thomas and James Hargrove.

“We’re just trying to to bring awareness to the youth to put these guns down and keep them out of our system so they can be successful at something in their life besides getting caught up in the streets,” Thomas said.

Two 12-man high school teams will compete in the league and will feature six players each from Kennedy and Eastside and four apiece from Passaic and Passaic Tech.

Thomas said it was also possible that various college players from Paterson such as Myles Mack of Rutgers and Fuquan Edwin of Seton Hall could also compete in their spare time.

“If they’re in town I would love for them to come and play a game or two,” Thomas said.

“That way the younger kids and the high school kids can have an opportunity to see them and play against them,” Thomas said.

For more information, hit the Website here.

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Jim Boeheim

“I believe he’s good enough to win an NBA championship but I believe he needs another guy with him,” Boeheim said Tuesday on ESPN’s “Mike and Mike.”

The Syracuse coach said that people who say Anthony isn’t a winner “don’t understand history” because Anthony won in high school, at Syracuse and with the Olympic team.

Boeheim asked rhetorically if the Knicks as currently constituted had that second “guy,” implying that J.R. Smith didn’t fit the bill of other traditional second stars like Scottie Pippen and Dwyane Wade.

In a separate interview with the Syracuse Post-Standard, Boeheim, speaking of Smith and Raymond Felton, said: “Those guys weren’t great players where they were and now they’re asking them to be second and third options. In Miami the second and third options are Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Your fourth option is Ray Allen, who is still in good shape. Your fifth option is Shane Battier, who is still a good player. The New York Knicks have who?”

Boeheim also went off on Tyson Chandler and Pablo Prigioni.

“Tyson Chandler claims he never gets the ball,” Boeheim said. “He doesn’t try to get the ball. He had two points and [Roy] Hibbert had (21). What was the difference in the series? Raymond Felton was 0-for-7. Lance Stephenson had (25) points. They’re going to blame it on Carmelo? I told him when he went to New York, they’re going to blame it on you.”

He added: “They have no chance to win. (Knicks starter) Pablo Prigioni has never scored against (the U.S. team). We played Argentina six or seven times in different events. He hasn’t scored … against us. You have to have players to win in the NBA.”

Boeheim said in both interviews that he believes the Pacers have three All-Stars in Paul George, Roy Hibbert and David West. During the ESPN1050 radio, he asked if Hibbert wasn’t the best center in the NBA.

He said that depending on Wade’s knee, the Pacers could beat the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Things won’t get any easier for the Knicks next year, either.

The Pacers (Danny Granger), Celtics (Rajon Rondo) and Bulls (Derrick Rose) all get injured stars back next year and the Heat aren’t going anywhere.

Anthony, meantime, can opt out of his Knicks’ contract after next season, but said Monday he wasn’t thinking about that.

“They’re getting nothing but older,” Boeheim told the Post-Standard of the Knicks. “They’re not going to get better. They need two more options. Chris Paul would be the guy. … No one else can help them. They’re not going to beat Miami. Indiana’s not going to get worse, they’re going to get better. It doesn’t look good.”

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Chris Smith

“I will be back with my big brother @TheRealJRSmith … Will be a blessing to wear my Knicks uniform,” Chris Tweeted Sunday.

Chris Smith was waived by the Knicks on Oct. 26 after undergoing left patella tendon surgery. The former Louisville and Manhattan player spent the season rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee at the Knicks’ facilities, and told SNY.tv in January he hoped to return to the team next season.

The younger Smith recently parted ways with agent Marc Cornstein and signed with Leon Rose, who also reps J.R. The split was first reported by the New York Post and confirmed by Cornstein. The Smiths and Rose all hail from South Jersey.

J.R. has a player option for next season but is expected to opt out and test free agency. He told reporters after the Game 6 loss to Indiana that he wanted to retire as a Knick.

The Knicks hold his early-Bird rights and can offer him a four year deal starting at about $5 million.

On the open market, Smith would likely command more, although his poor and tumultuous postseason likely cost him money. He was suspended for Game 4 of the Celtics series for elbowing Jason Terry, and played poorly against the Pacers.

“J.R.’s a special player and to me and everybody on this team, he’s made a huge step forward as a basketball player and we look forward to that, for him to come out and be focused the way he’s focused this season,” Carmelo Anthony said Monday. “Win the Sixth Man of the Year award, help us to win another division title, helping us to 50-plus games, he’s a big piece to this team. I definitely would love him back here.”

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Roger Federer, winner of a men’s record 17 Grand Slam singles championships, is considered by many to be the GOAT.

But Rafael Nadal is charging hard on Federer’s heels, if he hasn’t already surpassed him.

After dominating and embarrassing Federer, 6-1, 6-3, Sunday to win the title in Rome, Nadal has now won 20 of 30 career matches with his Swiss rival.

Nadal will enter next week’s French Open as the overwhelming favorite to win his eighth title at Roland Garros and his 12th career Major.

“It’s good for tennis because clearly we need Nadal because he’s one of the greatest players that ever lived, no doubt about it,” seven-time Major winner John McEnroe said Monday on a conference call set up by The Tennis Channel. “You could make the argument that he is the greatest player that ever lived.”

Like Federer, Nadal owns a career Grand Slam, with seven of his 11 titles coming at Roland Garros.

At 26, Nadal seems much more likely to add to his career total than the 31-year-old Federer.

Still, McEnroe and Cliff Drysdale, among others, believe Federer can win another Major.

“I think his best bet, as I’ve said for years, is Wimbledon,” McEnroe said of Federer, who won his 17th Major there last summer.

As dominant as Federer’s career has been, can you really call someone the GOAT when he has a losing record — by a 2-to-1 margin — against his chief rival?

Pete Sampras, by contrast, never won the French Open, but went 20-14 against his chief nemesis, Andre Agassi.

Nadal’s title in Rome was the Spaniard’s sixth since returning earlier this year from a seven-month layoff due to a left knee injury.

“I’m playing much better than I dreamed of a few months ago,” Nadal said. “I’m doing the right things to play well.”

Federer complimented Nadal for the way he took his time before returning to the circuit.

“It goes to show that’s what every player should do,” Federer said. “Now he’s as strong as ever and is going to be the favorite for Roland Garros.”

You can say that again.

It’s hard to imagine anyone beating Nadal at Roland Garros, where he has won every match he has played except once since 2005.

“I’m really happy for him and impressed that he’s come back,” McEnroe said. “It seems like he’s barely lost anything, if at all. Right now…he says he’s playing the best he’s been playing the whole year, which is sort of frightening for the other players.”

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic might have the best shot to take out Nadal, but he has been bothered by an ankle injury suffered in a Davis Cup match last week.

“Djokovic, I’m not quite sure what his ankle situation is,” McEnroe said. “So it’s a little bit up in the air.”

McEnroe said it remains “possible” that some heavy hitter could oust Nadal from the French Open, the way Robin Soderling did in the fourth round of in 2009, enabling Federer to go on and win his only title there.

“It’s possible he might be caught off guard in a match, but it’s unlikely that someone can still beat him in a best-of five,” McEnroe said of Nadal.

“The big hitters that presumably would try to swing for the fences would have the best shot I would think of possibly upsetting him. When it gets down to the latter parts of the tournament, even guys like [Tomas] Berdych, [Juan Martin] Del Potro, the big hitters, I would be hard-pressed to see them certainly going all the way and having the wherewithal to beat Rafa three sets.

“Maybe one, possibly two, but to beat him three sets is unbelievably hard.”

(The AP contributed reporting)

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By JEREMY WOO

Special to ZAGSBLOG

CHICAGO – Who’s No.1?

Ben McLemore certainly has a case in next month’s NBA Draft.

One of several names thrown around as the potential top overall pick, the smooth shooting guard from Kansas made his case at the Chicago Pre-Draft Combine.

The consensus seems to be that this year’s draft is historically week, and the confusion at the top of the class reflects that.

Although Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel is regarded as the likely No. 1 pick, McLemore, injured UNLV star Anthony Bennett and Indiana guard Victor Oladipo have each been mentioned as potential No. 1 picks. Some have even speculated that Michigan point guard Trey Burke could go first, depending on how the lottery order falls. The big picture remains unclear.

The Draft Lottery will take place Tuesday night in New York, and it’s entirely possible that the Orlando Magic or New Orleans Pelicans — both of which have young big men — could trade the rights to presumed No. 1 pick Noel should the ping pong balls fall their way.

“Makes more sense for New Orleans to trade it,” one Western Conference GM told SNY.tv. “Noel is a power forward and a perfect complement to [center] Nikola [Vucevic].” 

Still, McLemore could present the highest upside of them all.

An elite athlete, standing 6-foot-5 with a 42-inch vertical, McLemore’s uncanny scoring ability has established him as a legit top-three choice.

“This year’s Brad Beal,” the GM said of McLemore.

The chance to hear his name called first next month has helped keep McLemore motivated.

“It’s definitely important to me, but not just because people say I’m [a top pick],” said McLemore. “I still have to work for it. At the same time, I want to make history. It’s been a while since a shooting guard has gone No. 1. It would definitely mean a lot to me.”

Of late, McLemore has been surrounded by controversy after his former AAU coach Darius Cobb admitted taking money to steer the talented guard toward potential agents. McLemore still has yet to choose an agent, and remains focused on his NBA aspirations in spite of it all.

“I’m just trying to get through the process,” McLemore said, “to get to that special day where I can walk across that stage and say to myself ‘I made it.’ Down the road, however my career goes, I’m just going to keep working hard each and every day.”

Drawing comparisons to a more athletic Ray Allen, McLemore averaged 15.9 points and 5.2 rebounds as a redshirt freshman last season. Kansas coach Bill Self called him the most talented player he’s ever coached. The St. Louis native helped lead Kansas to its ninth straight Big 12 title and a Sweet 16 appearance.

Some scouts have raised concerns about McLemore’s makeup, saying that he lacks the “killer instinct” with a tendency to defer to others. But whether or not he’s cut out to be a team’s top scorer, his strengths will make him tough to pass on.

“I can do a lot of things,” said McLemore. “I have great shooting ability, great leaping ability, quickness and I can guard pretty well. I know every night I’m going to go out there, give it my all and be a dog.”

Though he sat out a year, along with fellow Jayhawk Jamari Traylor, due to academic ineligibility, the work McLemore put in made him an immediate force at the college level. He says the whole experience turned out productive, and given where his draft stock lies, it’s hard to disagree.

“It was kind of tough,” he said. “At the same time I put in the work to get where I’m at now. That redshirt year was a blessing. I stayed in the gym, did some extra stuff and worked with the coaches. The following year I had the chance to show my talent and perform, and that’s what I did.”

McLemore grew up in extreme poverty, the second youngest of six children, with his mother working multiple jobs to make ends meet. His NBA contract will drastically change things for his family, still based in St. Louis. McLemore says his youngest brother Kevin, now a high school senior, will live with him wherever he ends up.

All of that is motivation. Until he signs that contract, McLemore will keep grinding. And no matter where he calls home, the hard work won’t stop. After all, that mentality is all he’s ever known.

“It’s still a dream to me right now,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m in this position, to provide for myself and for my family. It hasn’t hit me yet, that I’m here and about to head to the NBA. It’s just a blessing.”

“He’s going to Kansas, it’s done,” one coach at another school recruiting Black told SNY.tv. “He called us.”

The 6-foot-9 Black also considered Duke, Georgetown and Oregon, among others.

The news was first reported by CBSSports.com.

Eric “Cowboy” Robinson, Black’s AAU coach with the Memphis Magic, said as of Monday morning no decision has yet been made.

“He told me this morning he hasn’t made his mind up, Robinson told SNY.tv.

Black did not respond to a text message.

Kansas last week landed Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2013, who is expected to play this summer with the Canadian Junior National team, as reported earlier by SNY.tv.

Kansas figures to be a top five type of team nationally with the additions of Wiggins and Black to its returning players and its incoming class, also featuring center Joel Embiid and wing Wayne Selden.

Kansas now has five big guys in Embiid, Black, Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor and Landen Lucas. That will enable them to help avoid foul trouble up front and gives them added depth in the frontcourt. The 6-10 Hunter Mickelson, a transfer, and 6-8 senior walk-on Justin Wesley will be on the scout team.

The 6-9 Black averaged 8.1 points and 4.8 rebounds as a junior last season for the Tigers. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

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GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Despite failing to reach their goal of making the Eastern Conference Finals, Carmelo Anthony believes the Knicks are “right there” going forward.

“We right there, I mean we right there,” Anthony said Monday following the Knicks’ season-ending loss at Indiana in Game 6 Saturday night.

“When you recap this whole season, it’s just some detail-oriented things that we kind of gotta fix. But we right there. I believe we right there as a team, as a unit, the guys that we have on this team, we right there. I’m a believer in that, I’m very confident.”

His teammate, Iman Shumpert, gave the most blunt assessment of the Knicks’ postseason failure to get past Indiana in the conference semifinals.

“We know we were supposed to go farther,” Shumpert said. “We didn’t. So it’s a failure.”

Shumpert made the point that the Knicks need to hold each other accountable for their failures, and Anthony conceded on that point.

“Shump is right,” Anthony said. “There’s times when we need to hold each other accountable.”

Next year the Knicks will have to contend not only with LeBron James and the Miami Heat but also with several Eastern Conference teams that expect to have injured stars back. Chicago’s Derrick Rose, Indiana’s Danny Granger and Boston’s Rajon Rondo are all expected back.

Things could get harder for the Knicks going forward, yet the team’s collective message seems to be that this is Year 1 of a process

“I don’t think we underachieved,” Anthony said. “We dealt with the season the way we dealt with it. We made strides forward. We made huge steps. When I first got here in New York, I always said this was a process, this was going to take two to three years, and this was the first year the pieces to the puzzle started to fall into place.

“So we only going to get better from here on out.”

Anthony can opt out of his contract after next season — and if the Knicks fail to achieve their goals he could be inclined to do so — but said that’s not on his mind right now.

“I can’t think about that right now,” he said. “That would be selfish on my part to sit back and think about a situation like that, think about something like that. When that time comes I’ll deal with it. Right now, it’s all about getting better myself, as a team  and moving forward.”

Anthony confirmed a Daily News report that he will have his left shoulder examined this week. He called his shoulder “stable” and said “it’s just a matter of right now just rest and letting it heal on its own.”

“It was bothering me since it happened,” Anthony said. “To be able to play with that and get through that pain, it just came a point where you just try not to think about it.”

It remains unclear what the future holds for several Knicks, including Jason Kidd, 40, and Marcus Camby, 39 — both of whom are signed for two more years — as well as J.R. Smith, who has a player option for next season but has said he wants to retire as a Knick.

Anthony said he wanted Smith back next season despite his tumultuous postseason.

“Without a doubt, without a doubt,” Anthony said. “J.R.’s a special player and to me and everybody on this team, he’s made a huge step forward as a basketball player and we look forward to that, for him to come out and be focused the way he’s focused this season. Win the Sixth Man of the Year award, help us to win another division title, helping us to 50-plus games, he’s a big piece to this team. I definitely would love him back here.”

Still, Anthony said that he wouldn’t actively offer advice to Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and head coach Mike Woodson. Grunwald and Woodson are expected to meet with the media on Tuesday.

“As far as me making decisions or anything like that I leave that up to the front office,” Anthony said. “If they want my input they know how to get in contact with me…But i leave that up to them. That’s what they do, that’s what they get paid for.”

Neither Smith nor Amar’e Stoudemire spoke with the media Monday, but Anthony says he hopes Stoudemire can recover fully from two knee surgeries this year. Stoudemire was relegated to the bench in the second half of Game 6, and averaged just 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in the postseason.

“Coming from more of a friend than a teammates for Amar’e, I would love to see him get back 100 percent healthy,” Anthony said.

“I don’t think anybody that plays sports is 100 percent healthy. But to get back as healthy as he can be and kind of be injury free. 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. As far as being in shape, he came back in shape. He put a lot of effort into it .. things that you guys probably didn’t sees, we saw him in the gym every day two, three times a day … There’s just some injuries that you can’t overcome and at this point I just want him to be completely healthy before he starts thinking about anything.”

The Knicks had their best success this year with Anthony as the starting power forward in a small lineup. When healthy, Stoudemire came off the bench but he and Anthony rarely played together since both play the same position.

“I’m pretty sure Coach Woodson and his staff with evaluate that,” Anthony said. “We did have a lot of success with me playing at power forward position. But I mean, whatever has to happen has to happen. If I have to play four again next year, then I’ll do it.

“But right now we as a team and myself, we set a standard, 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 push ourselves in this offeseason to come back and be at that level or even better.”

The goal remains a championship, even it figures to get still harder next year in a deeper Eastern Conference.

“Eventually something has to happen,” he said. “We want to win the championship, that’s the goal, and we’re going to keep striving for that.”

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Isaiah Briscoe

The 6-foot-3 Briscoe is the Rivals No. 16 player in the Class of 2015 and has been consistently recruited by Syracuse, Arizona and Florida, among others.

“With Ohio state and Indiana, me personally it’s an honor to hear from both of them,” George Briscoe told SNY.tv. “But secondly I wouldn’t be surprised if they make his top five down the road, both of them.

“Isaiah’s style of play, big point guard. I just wouldn’t count it out as them being in his top five down the road.”

He will also visit Florida in “late June,” his father said.

Briscoe averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals for the 32-2 Gray Bees and helped them reach the ESPN National High School Invitational final, losing to Montverde (Fla.) Academy.

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