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GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and head coach Mike Woodson met with the media on Tuesday and their message emphasized “continuity” with the current core group that lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“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, but because they are over the $74 million tax apron they are prohibited by league rules from engaging in sign-and-trades. So 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.
“We have yet to have discussions with the Knicks about next season beyond the fact that they would like for [Copeland] to return and that we are grateful for the opportunity that was afforded to Cope by the Knicks family,” Copeland’s agent, John Spencer, told SNY.tv. “When July 1st comes around, we will have a better picture on what will happen, but Cope was assured that they would like to see him return.”
**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.”
