After another injury plagued season in a Knicks uniform, some felt that like Kidd, the 39-year old Camby would also elect retirement, but that’s not the case at all as Camby is committed to returning to the Knicks for next season and likely one more following that.

Mar 22, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; New York Knicks forward Marcus Camby (23) looks to make a pass against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Knicks beat the Raptors 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks were criticized last offseason for becoming the oldest team in NBA history, as the plan was obviously flawed.

With four players who began the season at 38 years of age or older (Camby, Kidd, Rasheed Wallace and Kurt Thomas), Camby appears like he will be the last dinosaur standing.

Camby’s agent Richard Kaplan told ESPN’s Jared Zwerling:

“The game plan is still the same,” Kaplan said. “There’s no reason to believe he won’t be back and won’t take on a greater role next season.”

First off, it is awful hard to see Camby, who will turn 40 next March, having a bigger role next season.

The health is always a concern but even when Camby was healthy, Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson elected to bury him on the bench, even when he could have used his size against bigger opposition. It’s awfully hard to think Woodson will have a sudden change of heart next year, especially since it looks like the Knicks will continue to go small.

Camby only played in 24 games last season, averaging 1.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in about 10 minutes per game. He battled through injuries — including left plantar fasciitis toward the end of the season. He only saw the court for about three minutes in the postseason, including only 12 seconds against the Pacers. However he was proclaimed completely healthy in the playoffs and wasn’t used despite the Knicks getting crushed on the glass by the Indiana Pacers and allowing numerous second chances.

Despite being 40, Camby is still a guy who could help off the bench in terms of defending and rebounding, areas the Knicks need help in badly.

But Woodson has to play him for that to happen.

But the thing is why wouldn’t Camby come back?

He was given a gift of a contract from the Knicks. Even Camby said last offseason that he was surprised when the Knicks gave him a three-year, $13.15 million contract at age 38.

The veteran is signed through the 2014-15 season (final season of deal only partially guaranteed), so it makes sense for him to still collect a  good paycheck while likely not having to do much on the court.

While Camby’s contract looks just like another awful Knicks contract right now, only time will tell if it becomes a decent contract or not.

With him unlikely to stay healthy for an entire season and the defensive coach burying a guy who can help block shots and rebound on the bench, I wouldn’t count on Camby doing too much more in 2014 than he did in 2013- collecting a paycheck.

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However no player could be under as much pressure that head coach Mike Woodson will be under to win in 2014.

May 18, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson on the sidelines against the Indiana Pacers in game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

According to the New York Post’s Marc Berman, Woodson signed a three-year deal prior to last season, but only next season is guaranteed.  That alone means Woodson has to win and win now.

Woodson’s 54-28 regular-season record last season, coupled with his 18-6 interim stint in 2012 makes gives the franchise’s highest coaching winning percentage (.679).

But is that good enough?

Woodson is a coach that has never made it out of the second round in the playoffs and that’s something that almost has to happen next season for the Knicks to not look in a different direction. We have reached the point where winning in the regular season is not good enough. Woodson, like his star Carmelo Anthony is going to be solely judged on postseason performance and right now his track record is not good.

Berman also writes that one league scout said Woodson is an excellent regular-season coach because he motivates his players to play defense every game, but his basic offense that contains a lot of isolation sets gets bogged down in a playoffs series when teams can prepare for it and make adjustments each game. The Knicks averaged 88 points in the 12 playoff games and the amount of isolation became a huge problem.

There’s no doubting that Woodson has been a good coach and the Knicks are in a much better position with him than without him.

But you have to consider the fact that he has won only of 18-of-46 career postseason games; including going only 7-10 with the Knicks. You have to wonder if Woodson is the guy who can take this team to the next level.

The way he failed to make the proper adjustments against the Indiana Pacers has to leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

Of course the organization could choose to extend him at any time before the end of the season, which is something that could happen at any point next season.

However there is one way that Woodson can put aside any speculation about his future as the Knicks head coach- win and win when it matters.

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Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith are struggling. Jason Kidd couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat and the rest of the Knicks simply aren’t getting the job done when it comes to scoring the ball.

May 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Chris Copeland (14) shoots over Indiana Pacers power forward David West (21) during the first half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

That alone begs the question of why isn’t Knicks head coach Mike Woodson using Chris Copeland more in the postseason?

By no means is Copeland a savior, but the one thing he can do is fill it up and instead of watching Smith chuck up 20 bricks per night, it would be nice to see Woodson put some guys on the floor that may have been able to impact the series in a positive way.

I will admit that Copeland is horrendous defensively, but the Knicks are trailing 3-1 because they can’t make shots.

The numbers would suggest that he could have an impact.

In the postseason, the Knicks offensive rating is +15.5 points while Copeland is on the court. In addition, New York’s assist percentage is +8.5 percent (via Basketball Reference).

Then there is the fact that the Knicks have shot only 32 percent from the three-point line throughout the playoffs.

Copeland could help there as well as he has been one of the team’s most consistent shooters from deep, making 5-of-13 shots from downtown and has the third-highest three-point percentage (38.5) of anyone who is averaging more than one attempt per game.

He also has had success against the Pacers as Copeland averaged 10.8 points and shot 53 percent against them in the regular season.

For the most part I like the job that Woodson has done with this team this year, but he’s making a mistake by not playing Copeland. He’s only played in seven of the Knicks 10 playoff games and has averaged only 7.9 minutes per game.

It’s a shame to watch the Knicks go down with bullets still left in their gun.

It’s too late now, but Woodson clearly made a mistake by not turning to Copeland earlier.

A few made shots here and there and this could have been a different series.

He also helped guide the Knicks to an Atlantic Division title and a 54-win regular season, also things not accomplished by a Knicks head coach in a very long time.

May 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson on the sidelines against the Indiana Pacers during the second half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks win 105-79. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Woodson did all of that in his first full season on the Knicks bench, but does that mean that he has done enough to pass the test and convince Knicks fans that he is the guy to lead the Knicks to their ultimate goal, a goal that they haven’t reached in the last 40 years?

I’d say don’t be so fast to rush to that conclusion.

There’s very little doubt that the franchise is in a much better place with Woodson at the helm then with any of his predecessors, but there is one thing that’s missing from Woodson’s resume- playoff success.

In his eight seasons as an NBA head coach, Woodson has been able to win in the regular season.

He’s won over 50 games on two different occasions and has led teams to the playoffs in five straight seasons, including his stint last season as the interim coach of the Knicks.

But once he reaches the postseason, his teams struggle.

Including this season Woodson has compiled only a 17-25 career postseason record and has never made it out of the second round in his five postseason years.

Getting out of the first round is simply not good enough for this Knicks team.

Just like superstar players are judged by what they do in the postseason, coaches are judged by how they perform in the playoffs as well.

Woodson has a lot of tough decisions to make as the Knicks head to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Saturday.

How will he handle J.R. Smith’s struggles? How will he work Amar’e Stoudemire back into the rotation? How will the Knicks attack the Pacers size when they aren’t shooting well from the perimeter?

Good coaches handle those problems and many more when all the chips are on the table.

The great ones are able to make the necessary adjustments and rotation changes on the fly.

Is Woodson that type of coach?

Fortunately he’s got some more time to prove that he is.

If he doesn’t, there has to be some doubts that he’s the right man to lead the Knicks to the promise land.

The pressure isn’t just on Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the Knicks players; it’s on Woodson as well.

We will find out shortly if he is up to the challenge.

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After leading the Denver Nuggets to a franchise best 57 win regular season, George Karl was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.

May 2, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl looks on against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter of game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Nuggets 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Karl worked wonders with a lineup that lacked an All-Star, was hit hard by injuries to several starters and twisted its way through a brutal early-season schedule in which 22 of the team’s first 32 games were on the road. In leading the Nuggets to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Karl was named Coach of the Year for the first time in his 25-year coaching career.

It was well deserved.

Despite not having a dominant scorer- Ty Lawson led the Nuggets by averaging only 16.7 points per game- the Nuggets finished an amazing 38-3 at home on the season and finished with the fourth best record in the NBA.

Karl received 62 first-place votes, followed by the Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra with 24 votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters.

The Knicks Mike Woodson finished third and San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, who won the award last season, was fourth.

Karl had 404 votes overall, which blew away Spoelstra’s 190.

He is 1,131-756 in his 25 seasons as head coach and his 21 straight non-losing seasons ties Phil Jackson for the longest streak in league history.

Overall he was the right choice. It would have been nice to see Woodson win the award, but this was Karl’s to lose. If anyone had a legitimate gripe it would have been Spoelstra, who led the Heat to the best record in the league and saw them win an amazing 27 games in a row.

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If they defeat the Boston Celtics in Game 5 on Wednesday the Knicks won’t only advance to the next round, but could have some company doing so.

Mar. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

After much speculation, Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said that if forward Amar’e Stoudemire is healthy, he will play in the second round.

Al Iannazzone of Newsday wrote the following:

“Amar’e Stoudemire, who had knee surgery March 11, said he could be ready in the second round. If he is, Mike Woodson said he “absolutely” will play. Woodson said he’s not worried about a disruption of the chemistry the Knicks have built in winning 19 of 21. “Not at all,” he said. “You guys worry about that. I don’t. I really don’t. He’s a big piece to our puzzle.”

Stoudemire’s original timetable of four to six weeks has long passed, but if he sticks close to an eight week recovery timetable, he would be back closer to the end of a second round series than the beginning.

But the Knicks could certainly use the frontcourt depth, so whenever he is ready, Woodson won’t hesitate to use him.

The Knicks have been forced to go to smaller lineups due to the constraints of the roster. There may come a time, especially against the Indiana Pacers (if they are the Knicks second round opponent) that going bigger may make more sense.

Right now, only Kenyon Martin has been a legitimate big man option for New York off the bench.

Stoudemire averaged 14.2 points and five rebounds, while playing 23.5 minutes per game in 29 appearances for the Knicks this season.

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Other than the sprained ankle  that point guard Pablo Prigioni suffered on Wednesday night, Knicks head coach Mike Woodson should have a full complement of players at his disposal, as the likes of Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby should all be ready to go.

March 6, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

One name that won’t though is Amar’e Stoudemire; as the coach has all but ruled the power forward out for the Celtics series.

“I think he’s going to be out,” Woodson told ESPN’s Ian Begley on Thursday. “That’s my gut.”

The veteran power forward underwent surgery March 11 to clean up debris in his right knee. He was on the floor for practice, but Stoudemire hasn’t begun running yet.

The original timetable for Stoudemire after the surgery was four to six weeks, which would put him back on April 22, the day before Game 2. But Stoudemire still appears a long-shot at best.

“I’m doing everything I can to get back out there and be extremely strong and healthy so, hopefully, I’ll be out there soon,” Stoudemire told Begley.

However it may be a blessing to not disrupt what has become great chemistry at the moment as the Knicks have gone 17-6 since he left the lineup.

Even though he won’t be available, it didn’t stop STAT from offering up his thoughts on the Celtics series, predicting a series victory.

“We’re going to win that first round for sure,” he told ESPN’s Jared Zwerling during a screening of his upcoming EPIX documentary, “Amar’e Stoudemire: In The Moment,” which premieres on April 19. “Obviously, as we all know, with the Celtics, you can never underestimate those guys. We’ve got to definitely come to play every game, and bring that focus and determination every single night. I have high confidence in what we can do.”

Prigioni is listed as questionable, but other than that, Woodson should have the deepest bench available to him in quite some time for Game 1, which begins Saturday afternoon.

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But a bad situation for one guy creates an opportunity for others. What you do with that opportunity is what matters.

Apr 12, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks small forward Chris Copeland (14) dunks against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks’ forward Chris Copeland has been a guy that realizes he has a golden opportunity in front of him and when he’s been given the chance, Copeland has certainly done his part. It doesn’t matter if Copeland is coming off the bench to play the 3 or being forced to start at the 5 due to injuries, when he’s on the floor he brings energy and production.

That begs the question of if when the Knicks get completely healthy, should Copeland remain a part of Mike Woodson’s rotation during the playoffs?

Offensively that answer is yes. The Knicks could definitely use his scoring punch and the energy he brings. On the season, Copeland has averaged 7.6 points per game, but in games where Copeland has played 18 minutes or more, that average jumps up to 13.8.

Defensively it’s a different story. You need defense to win in the postseason and that’s something that Copeland doesn’t bring to the table. He’s gets beat off the dribble routinely and isn’t a very good rebounder. There’s almost no excuse for a 6’8″ forward to average only two rebounds per game.

But Copeland’s defense has improved a tad bit as of late and he could force his way into minutes in the postseason. Since last Sunday in Oklahoma City, Copeland has played hard defensively and has impressed Woodson.

“He’s been solid all year,” Woodson told Newsday’s Al Iannazzonne. “I’ve been on Cope because I want to see him get better all-around not just scoring the basketball and it’s going to help us. We need guys to defend. It’s great that he can put the ball in the hole and he’s done an excellent job in that area but I need him to defend like he did the other night [in OKC].”

That being said, I feel once the Knicks are healthy, Copeland deserves to be a part of the playoff rotation.

He’s an intriguing player who brings a lot to the table and makes the Knicks a better team when he’s on the floor.

As the regular season winds down, it looks like Copeland has three more games to plead his case.

However, what’s developing now, is that the shoulder-load of healthy players has increased to stressful levels due to the dwindling ranks. The Knicks’ short-handedness up front last night in Chicago led to Carmelo Anthony, Chris Copeland, and J.R. Smith playing heavy minutes out of position. Fortunately, the Bulls were without two of their big men in Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, so the Knicks weren’t too badly beaten up by considerably larger opponents.

However, because of the short rotation – James White was the only active player not to get off the bench last night – important players are logging heavy minutes. Carmelo Anthony played 45 of the 53 total minutes, J.R. Smith played for 42 minutes, and Jason Kidd, a player who clearly plays better when given rest, logged 37 minutes. Raymond Felton almost played the entire game – 49 minutes – and strained his knee on the opening tip of overtime. Though Felton has claimed that he’ll play tonight, the Knicks now have another important player limping into the regular season’s finale.

According to multiple sources, the Knicks will cut Kurt Thomas today in order to sign Solomon Jones, which will at least add one more healthy big body into the mix. Jones had had a few stints as a third string big man in the NBA, and may actually see some minutes if Chandler and Martin don’t play the four remaining games in the regular season.

Going into Cleveland to play tonight, the second night of a back-to-back, the Knicks aren’t even in a position to rest their top guns. Even if they were willing to concede loss and rest, say, Felton and Anthony, that would leave only seven active players, assuming Jones won’t be with the team yet. Again, the problem remains that missing players from the rotation only further adds to the burden of the healthy players and puts them at risk of injuring themselves by playing heavy minutes.

The absence of Chandler and Martin has seriously hurt the Knicks as both players have become part of New York’s most used, most efficient lineups. Chandler, of course, provides the backbone of the defense, a threat in the pick-and-roll, and presence on the offensive boards to give the Knicks new possessions. Martin, in his short time in New York, has become a physical presence, capable of finishing around the basket, and while he’s not an integral part of the Knicks’ defense, surprisingly, he does his best to protect the basket, and he’s able to switch onto smaller players.

If Felton is indeed seriously injured, it’s obvious how it will affect the Knicks’ currently scorching offense, and furthermore, their overall rotations.

Right now the Knicks are in a precarious position between wanting to win games and retain the second seed, and trying to keep players healthy. It’s an unenviable position for coach Mike Woodson, and one that could face serious repercussions either way. Just get healthy, Knicks. Please.

Knicks center Tyson Chandler (bulging disc) is doubtful for tonight’s game while backup big man Kenyon Martin is listed as “questionable” because of his sore left knee. In addition, Marcus Camby (plantar fasciitis) is out once again.

Apr 2, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

With Chandler, Martin and Camby likely joining Amar’e Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace on the sidelines, that leaves Chris Copeland and Carmelo Anthony as the Knicks biggest players and they aren’t conventional bigs by any stretch of the imagination, but will be forced to play against physical big men like Emeka Okafor and Nenê.

Chandler missed 10 games with the neck injury and looked good for the first time since his return on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He moved well and finished with 15 points and added five rebounds and two blocks.

Now the question has to be asked of is this just a precaution that Chandler is getting some rest or his neck injury more serious than originally thought?

As for Martin, this could be the third consecutive game he has missed with the knee issue, but don’t expect K-Mart out for too long, although the 35-year old would like to return to the lineup Tuesday night.

“Yeah, definitely. I just don’t want to risk nothing,” Martin said, according to Newsday. “Doc said she was expecting that, at some point. It’s better now than two weeks from now.”

As for Martin sitting out the rest of the season and resting for the playoffs?

Not a chance in the world.

“Oh, hell no,” Martin said. “Hell no. Not at all.”

If Martin and Chandler are forced to miss the game against the Wizards, it wouldn’t be anything new for Knicks head coach Mike Woodson who has had to juggle lineups and rotations all season long.

He may have to pull another rabbit out of the hat for the Knicks streak to continue.

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But despite how low things may have gotten at times, the Knicks hit the 50-win plateau and can clinch the franchise’s first division title since 1994 with either a home win Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards or a Brooklyn Nets loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Apr 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

However with the Knicks playing so well at the moment, a division title isn’t enough.

That’s a statement that Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson would agree with, as he has his eyes on a much bigger prize- and NBA championship.

Woodson knows that the Knicks are close and called his team “desperate” to win a title this season.

“It’s desperate times for our team to win and win now,” Woodson said Monday during his weekly show on ESPN radio. “We’re in desperate times right now to win a title.”

I like the use of the word desperate because often the desperate team is the most difficult one to play against. Sometimes the most talented team doesn’t always come out on top, but the team that wants it more does.

Woodson knows the Knicks window to win with this group is a very small one and there may be no better opportunity to win the Knicks first title since 1973 than with this team that is playing at such a high level at the moment.

“Getting 50 wins is special, too,” Woodson also said (via the New York Daily News). “But I’m looking at the big picture. It’s all great. We can accomplish winning our division and securing that second spot. Then the next step is winning the title. I’m only in it for that and only that.”

However talking the talk is easy. Walking the walk is another story altogether.

Will this postseason be different?

Carmelo Anthony gets a lot of heat for his postseason failures, but Woodson doesn’t exactly have a shiny playoff resume either as Woodson has a career 12-22 postseason record and has never made it out of the second round.

But there are some things to like about this team’s chances.

The first is the way that Anthony is playing heading into the playoffs.

If Anthony can keep playing at a high level, he can carry the Knicks throughout the first couple of rounds.

Keep in mind that the Knicks are competing for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, which means home-court advantage up until the conference finals. Anthony hasn’t had home court advantage at all yet with the Knicks, so that is a big factor.

Speaking of the No. 2 seed, the Knicks enter Tuesday’s game with a 2.5 games lead over Indiana. In that scenario, the earliest the Knicks would face the defending-champion Heat would be in the conference finals. If it gets to that point, anything can happen.

But the most important factor in why this Knicks team can be successful in the postseason is desperation.

If Woodson installs that desperate mentality into his team, they will be very tough out at any point in the playoffs.

The coach is desperate. The fans are desperate. If the team plays desperate, the Knicks will be just fine.

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Apr 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson reacts to a call in action against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

With the Knicks being the hottest team in the league, these people have the spotlight on them at the right time since they will be fresh in the voters’ minds. Those who are in contention for potential honors of course are Carmelo Anthony (MVP), J.R. Smith (Sixth Man of the Year, and Mike Woodson (Coach of the Year).

I’ll start with who I think is most likely to win an award this season and that is Mike Woodson. Not many coaches have had to deal with the constant problems this season like Woodson has. There hasn’t been a point in the season where the Knicks have been 100 percent healthy. Amar’e Stoudemire has obviously missed more than half the season, so Woodson didn’t have one of his better players for a good portion of the year.

The only player who has played every game of the season so far is one of Woodson’s favorite players, J.R. Smith. The Knicks’ franchise player, Carmelo Anthony, has missed 13 games and their defensive leader Tyson Chandler has missed 10 games. Raymond Felton was unavailable earlier in the season, missing 12 games, and Iman Shumpert missed a good chunk of the beginning of the season, only playing in 39 games. Marcus Camby has rarely been available (24 games played) and Rasheed Wallace has been equally effective, only playing in 20 games.

I’m not giving Woodson Coach of the Year based on injuries, but the man had a lot on his plate this season and he led the Knicks to their first 50 win season in over a decade. As soon as lineups and rotations started to gel and look good, another injury occurred and he had to make more and more adjustments. It’s pretty remarkable he has the Knicks looking at a two seed in the East despite all their injuries.

Woodson has not only been successful in New York, but he has changed the culture. The Knicks were laughable on the defensive side of the court before he took the reigns and now they can hold their own. Woodson is 68-32 with the Knicks and deserves the award this season.

Did I mention he has the sweetest goatee known to man?

But following their win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson and his coaching staff may not have a choice, especially when it comes to big men Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin.

Mar. 3, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) smiles on the court against the Miami Heat during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

However Woodson did offer up some good news on Thursday when he said that he expected both Chandler and Martin to be fine.

“I think they’re going to be fine. We were cautious with Kenyon last night and came back with Tyson [late in the win over the Hawks]. [We're] trying to keep Tyson’s minutes not so heavy until he gets his legs and everything fully back under him,” Woodson said Thursday in an interview with ESPN New York 98.7 FM’s “The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show (via ESPN’s Ian Begley).” “I feel good about Tyson. I feel good about K-Mart. We’ve just got to make sure that they’re ready when the playoffs start.”

That’s certainly good to hear from Woodson.

Martin sat out the final 10 minutes of the Atlanta game due to a sore right knee. After the game he told reporters that he had been battling the injury for a few days and could not say with any certainty if he’d play Friday against Milwaukee.

As for Chandler, the All-Star returned to the lineup Tuesday night in Miami after previously missing 10 consecutive games. Chandler looked to be in some pain Wednesday night. He left the game in the first half, clutching his chest and said that he was stiff due to the neck injury and could not guarantee that he’d be in the lineup Friday night.

“It’s tough trying to look up at the ball for rebounds or lobs,” Chandler told Begley. “It’s thrown my timing off. I’m just a little stiff right now. I’m not as mobile. I’m not there. I’m not myself moving around like I normally would.”

Now that’s bad news for the Knicks who are already without Amar’e Stoudemire, Rasheed Wallace and Kurt Thomas. If Martin and Chandler can’t go, it makes an already thin frontcourt even thinner.

The Knicks have listed both Chandler and Martin as questionable for Friday’s game against the Bucks, which could be simply a precaution as Woodson said he believed both Chandler and Martin would play before the postseason.

It’s tough to lose anyone right now as the Knicks currently sit just a half-game ahead of the Indiana Pacers for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

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Coach Eric Spoelsta will rest his two-mega superstars, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, along with point guard Mario Chalmers. This is good news for the Knicks who want to keep their winning streak alive and play their best basketball heading into the playoffs. Mike Woodson is probably going to be without his All-Star center Tyson Chandler, who hasn’t played since the Portland Trailblazers game on March 14th forcing him to miss nine straight games.

Apr 2, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) celebrates during a time out the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. New York won 102-90. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

It would have been nice to see if the red hot Knicks challenge the Heat at full strength and see where they stand with them after losing to them 99-93 back on March 3rd. With LeBron and Wade out, this is very winnable game for the Knicks who are neck and neck with the Pacers for the 2nd seed. Here’s everything you need to know:

When: Tuesday, April 2nd at 8:00 P.M. EST

Where: American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida

Watch: TNT & MSG

When the Knicks have the ball: 99.4 PPG (11th in NBA), Heat: 95.3 points allowed (6th in NBA)

When the Heat have the ball: 103.3 PPG (5th in NBA), Knicks: 95.7 points allowed (8th in NBA)

Key Matchup: Kenyon Martin vs. Chris Bosh

This is basically a must win for the New York Knicks considering the game’s circumstances. Without LeBron, Wade, and Chalmers, I consider the Heat a so-so team at best. With the Pacers and Knicks in a heated race for the 2nd seed, the Knicks need to come out hard and get this victory in Miami.

Chris Bosh stepped up and beat the Spurs so Kenyon Martin will have to take him out of his element. Martin is a tough player and won’ back down from anyone. Bosh has the label of a “soft” player and will bully Bosh around. Bosh is the Heat’s best player tonight and if the Knicks can stop him, they should win this game without any problems. It is a rivalry game and the Heat did just beat the Spurs in San Antonio, so this game might not be as easy as Knicks fans think it will be.

Knicks 96
Heat 88

While the Knicks have been rolling as a team, Smith has been busy putting on his best LeBron James, Kevin Durant, or even Carmelo Anthony imitation.

Mar 31, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) puts up a layup over Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won the game 108-89. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

He has performed as one of the top scorers in the NBA over the course of the past couple of weeks and his scorching hot play as gotten him some notice around the league as Smith was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Smith averaged 29.8 points (second in the league), 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals last week, leading the Knicks to a 4-0 record.

He also had three straight games of 30-plus points, making him the first bench player to accomplish that feat in over 20 years. Milwaukee’s Ricky Pierce scored 30 or more in four straight games in 1990.

However it just wasn’t Smith’s numbers that were impressive, it’s the way he has been going about getting those numbers.

It’s like Smith woke up one day and decided to change the way he plays the game. Instead of settling for countless contested jumpers, Smith has turned into an efficient player who thrives on getting to the rim.

Before the recent streak, only 25 percent of Smith’s field goal attempts on the season came in the paint. That number is suddenly up to 58 percent. That alone speaks volumes to the success the Knicks and Smith are having as of late.

If Smith can continue to play this way instead of reverting back to an average jump shooter, the Knicks will be a scary team heading into the postseason.

“He’s starting to figure it out,”  Knicks head coach Mike Woodson told ESPN’s Ian Begley.

It’s nice that he has been recognized for it as well.

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But while STAT had the time  to go on television and tell the world that his rehab is going fine, he also appears to have drawn the ire of Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson in the process.

Mar. 20, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson talks with New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) on the sidelines during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Stoudemire has made a couple of TV appearances in the last couple of days in which he said his rehab is going well, including on ESPN.

“It’s going well,’’ Stoudemire said on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “It’s two weeks in now, so I’ve been able to really recover [and] feel the improvement daily, and I just hope that continues to be the case.”

That apparently was news to Woodson.

When asked about his power forward, Woody seemed rather shocked and displeased with the fact that STAT was going on television to begin with.

“He’s been on TV?,’’ Woodson told the New York Post’s Marc Berman. “News to me. I need to tell him to stay off the TV and talk to the coach. I really don’t know. I don’t know what the timetable is on Amar’e. If he’s telling you the rehab is going well, it’s a good sign. How close to playing, I don’t know.’’

Woodson also added that if STAT does return, he likely will be limited to only 10-12 minutes per game, as he said he has to plan on not having Stoudemire back.

“I can’t get him on the court and going to play him 25, 30 minutes,’’ Woodson also told Berman. “It’s just getting him back comfortable, if it’s 12, 10 minutes, and feel good and comfortable about it.’’

Stoudemire also held a press call on Friday to promote a documentary of his life: “Amar’e Stoudemire: In the Moment.’’

The Knicks are usually very tight lipped on injuries, which made Stoudemire’s recent promotional tour rather odd, especially given the fact that he didn’t communicate things with his coach first.

As for Stoudemire coming back for  the playoffs? Who knows, but stay tuned to the television as I am sure STAT will find the time to promote his return.

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Mar. 3, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks as a whole have has the injury bug pretty bad this season, and this has caused Mike Woodson to practically never work with a 100 percent healthy roster. This has caused Anthony to play both small forward and power forward this season.

Going forward into the playoffs with this current team, I think it would be best if Anthony played at the 3.

The addition of Kenyon Martin proves to be more valuable every single game. Seriously, what would this team’s frontcourt look without him?

It’s sad to say but the Amar’e Stoudemire injury was expected. We knew it was coming sooner or later. It was a nightmare to watch Tyson Chandler go down and the Knicks can’t wait to get him back on the court.

When the season started, I loved when Melo played the 4. He spread the floor with his lights out shooting and bullied his way to the rim. But when Chandler returns, the Knicks have no choice but to start Martin at the 4.

Anthony still causes problems for basically any 3 in the league since he is one of the best scorers in the league.

When Chandler comes back, a frontcourt of Anthony, Martin, and Chandler gives the Knicks everything they  need. Chandler and Martin will be relentless on the defensive side of the ball and clean up the boards, while Anthony is a world-class scorer.

Melo will be effective wherever you put him on the court. The offense runs through him but with some real big men on the court, I believe it’s best for him to line up at the 3.

With that being said, there has been one guy that improves the Knicks in both areas, but until recently didn’t have a major role in Mike Woodson’s rotation and  that’s Pablo Prigioni.

Mar 18, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) dribbles toward the basket during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The veteran Argentine point guard has had his moments early in his first NBA season, but often showed the look of a guy who deserved more minutes from Woodson, especially when you consider the fact that Raymond Felton has turned in inconsistent offensive performances and has struggled defensively with every point guard in the NBA.

The numbers don’t lie. The Knicks have slipped to 29th in the NBA in assists at only 19.4 per game and are among the worst teams in the NBA when it comes to defending opposing point guards, allowing 21.5, a 45.9 shooting percentage and a 37.8 three-point percentage.

Injuries forced Woodson to tinker with his lineup once again and he may have found something that worked by moving Prigioni into the starting lineup.

Since Woodson made the switch, the Knicks have gone 4-0, due large in part that the ball moves more with him on the floor and they have done a better job at not allowing the opposition point guard to score at will. The past four games, with Prigioni in the starting lineup those point guards have combined to average only 9.5 points per game. That is a recipe for winning basketball games.

Prigioni played only 20 minutes in his first two starts, but was effective, then got only 10 minutes of run against the Raptors on Friday. But Woodson finally gave Prigioni 28 minutes on Saturday and the results were great. He dished out six assists and played his usual tenacious defense.

The Knicks need more of that, but Prigioni has to be on the floor enough to make an impact.

Before his recent four starts, Prigioni had averaged only 15 minutes per game, but looking at his per 36 minute numbers, he deserved much more playing time. Prigioni has averaged 7.8 assists and 2.2 steals per 36 minutes and is shooting close to 45 percent from the floor. Those numbers make him the Knicks best assist guy and puts him only behind Jason Kidd in terms of steals.

He hasn’t received enough time because of Felton and Kidd, but maybe it is time that Woodson re-evaluates the depth chart and how he dishes out minutes to his guards.

In addition, the Knicks score more points per possession, and allow fewer per possession when Prigioni is on the floor. The most telling number is defensively where they allow more than five fewer points per possession when Prigioni is on the floor.

Another telling sign is that the Knicks other players see their performance go up when they play with Prigioni.

When Tyson Chandler and Prigioni play together, the Knicks have an outstanding 19.5 net rating in 256 minutes. As for the Knicks top two scorers, both Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith have been more effective this season when playing with Prigioni. Even Felton has been great playing with the Argentine, even though it has been only 96 minutes. The offense has been better, but so has Felton’s defense, as 2-guards can’t get around Felton as easily as point guards have all season long.

The bottom line is that Prigioni needs to be on the floor.

He makes the Knicks a better team and the other players on the floor better as well. That’s a good point guard’s job. However to play Prigioni more, it likely means less time for Kidd and Iman Shumpert, but so be it. You have to play the guys getting the job done and that’s Prigioni, not to mention he has outperformed both Kidd and Shumpert this season.

It’s about Woodson attempting to fix the Knicks biggest weaknesses- ball movement and defense.

Playing Prigioni more offers up a quick fix.

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Who is to blame? This clearly isn’t the same Knicks team from the beginning of the season, but this might be the true Knick team.

March 14, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson reacts to an officials call during the first quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Since their impressive 18-5 start, the Knicks are only 20-20. The record doesn’t disappoint fans as much as their recent play does. After putting up their worst offensive performance in quite a few years against the Warriors, the Knicks followed it up with a game with the Nuggets where they didn’t even belong on the same court as them. Defending young and explosive guards has been a problem all year for the Knicks, and Rookie of the Year candidate Damian Lillard and his Blazers beat the Knicks for the second time this season. Lillard had a double double with 26 points and 10 assists.

The depth of the Knicks is starting to wear down and Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson is struggling with rotations.

I have pointed out all season long that Woodson’s rotations have been a problem all year for this team. We have seen it with Jason Kidd, as he looks tired and not the same player as he was in the beginning of the year. Woodson has finally realized James White isn’t a starter in this league. Chris Copeland has been seeing increasing minutes only because the Knicks have been getting blown out.

Woodson has to do some serious evaluation of his rotations. Kenyon Martin is going to be a huge part of this team going forward with Amar’e Stoudemire out and with Tyson Chandler banged up. Chandler is a warrior but Woodson may not be able to play him the 32 minutes a game he’s been playing him. Kurt Thomas should be not be starting over Marcus Camby, who is said to be healthy but for some reason hasn’t been getting minutes under Woodson.

This team is old and we knew that going into the season. With Carmelo Anthony and Chandler banged up, Woodson is going to have to thing hard and come up with better schemes and smarter rotations if he wants the Knicks to finish in the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference. They can not fall to the No. 4 seed, where they possibly see Miami in the second round, where they might not even get to if they keep this play up.

Playing a five game west coast road trip is tough I get that, but this recent play is inexcusable. The Knicks clearly aren’t a championship level team and right now are playing terrible. You can’t even call them mediocre. Teams like the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, and Chicago Bulls would never come out and play this poorly and get themselves embarrassed like this. In city rival, the Brooklyn Nets are only one game behind the Knicks in the Atlantic Division race and three seed in the East.

The Knicks have to wake up now before it’s too late.

By the time Grunwald was finished, the Knicks had the oldest roster in NBA history. It looked good at the time as the Knicks appeared to have great depth with a bunch of veterans who could play a role in the Knicks winning a championship.

Oct. 1, 2012; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Knicks executive vice president and general manager Glen Grunwald speaks to the media at the MSG Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

As Knicks head coach Mike Woodson put it: “Young players don’t win championships.”

As it turns out, neither do ancient players.

Grunwald’s strategy has backfired in a big way as the Knicks veterans have been often injured and they clearly don’t have the legs to compete with younger and more athletic teams.

Here’s a look at each move that Grunwald made and how it simply hasn’t worked out.

Marcus Camby (three years, $13. million): Even Camby was a  bit shocked that he got so much money and it has turned out to be a waste.  He was brought in to play a major role off the Knicks bench as a backup to Tyson Chandler, but similar to the first time around, Camby’s second stint with the Knicks has been marred by injuries. He’s played in only 18 games and when he has been healthy, has had trouble cracking Woodson’s rotation.

Coming into the season, there was much more expected than 10.6 minutes per game, averaging only 2.2 points and 3.6 rebounds.

Chris Copeland (one year, $473 K): I have no problem with Copeland being signed. He played his way onto the Opening Day roster and has done some nice things when given the opportunity.

Raymond Felton (four years, $14.8 million): Felton did a great job early on making Knicks fans forget  about the decision to allow  Jeremy Lin to leave for the Houston Rockets, but his play as of late might make you have to question the decision. It’s not that Lin is having a great season in Houston, but Felton’s play has dropped off that much.

His shooting has been erratic and the bottom line is that your point guard has to average more than 5.7 assists per game. Felton looked great running the Knicks offense the first month and a half of the season, but now there has to be serious questions of if he is the man for the job going forward. The Knicks are the worst team in the NBA when it comes to defending opposing point guards and Felton isn’t getting any quicker as he ages. He’s only 28 but has the look of a 35-year old.

Mar 9, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) reacts against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks won the game 113-84. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Kidd (three years, $9.09 million): Kidd was a big reason why the Knicks got off to such a great start, but hasn’t been the same player over the course of the past two and a half months. His shooting has completely fallen off the table as he couldn’t hit water right now if he fell out of a boat. He still brings the intangible that you would expect, but he has played over 27 minutes per game and seems to be tiring out.

Steve Novak (four years, $15 million): Novak cashed in after leading the NBA in three-point shooting a season ago. Now it looks like a bad contract. He’s still shooting over 40 percent from behind the arc, but averages only 6.6 points per game and has trouble getting off shots. Now that teams have game planned to take him out of the game, Novak offers very little value to this team.

Pablo Prigioni (one year, $474 K): No problem in adding a cheap third point guard and Prigioni has earned his money and then some.

J.R. Smith (two years, $5.6 million): If you can live with Smith’s poor shot selection and his antics, this is one deal that turned out to be a bargain. Smith is having a solid season scoring the ball and despite all of the things he does that makes you shake your head, he is a very valuable part of the Knicks bench. Maybe the only valuable part.

Kurt Thomas (two years, $2.7 million): Thomas doesn’t get his number called much, but when he is on the floor you know what you will get from him.

Rasheed Wallace (one year, $1.35 million): The Knicks were great when Wallace was in the lineup, but he’s taking up a roster spot and the Knicks have got only 20 games out of him this season.

James White (one year, $854 K): White is just one of those guys who takes up a roster spot and isn’t going to offer much. Whatever production you get from him is a bonus.  Being that he comes very cheap, you can’t complain too much.

When you look back at the offseason, this is Grunwald’s team, built the way Woodson wanted it and the plan has failed.

The Knicks have become nothing more than a mediocre team filled with aging veterans whose bodies have broken down and castoffs.

There’s nothing about this team right now that would suggest that they can get out of the first round of the playoffs. If that’s the case, then they have failed in a big way and the finger needs to be pointed at the general manager and the head coach.

What’s worse is the fact that there is nothing to build around.

The Knicks window to win with this group is a small one, likely this season and next.

Sure they bring back Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire (if ever healthy) and Tyson Chandler, but what else is there on this team to get excited about?

Many thought the Knicks could build around Iman Shumpert for the future, but that looks less and less likely by the game.

What they have tried to do hasn’t worked and there is no quick fix in sight for the foreseeable future.

For that, Grunwald needs to be held accountable.

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When the Knicks were at their best early in the season, so was Felton. He kept everyone involved and took excellent care of the basketball. The North Carolina product held the keys to the car and he had the Knicks’ offense running like a well-oiled machine.

March 6, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) reacts after a basket in the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. New York won 87-77. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

However as the Knicks have struggled, so has Felton and he has turned into a part, though not a major part, of everything that is wrong with the Knicks’ offense right now.

The bottom line is that the ball isn’t moving. Felton’s assists are way down and he’s turning the ball over at an alarming rate. That’s simply not a recipe for winning basketball.

Let’s compare Felton’s performance month-by-month.

To begin the season in November, the Knicks went 11-4 during the month, largely due in part to the fact that Felton was a catalyst for the offense. Everyone was contributing and his numbers showed that by averaging 14.6 points, 6.7 assists and only 2.5 turnovers per game.

There were similar results in December as the Knicks went 10-5 during the month. Felton continued to play well, averaging 17.2 points, 5.8 assists and 2.2 turnovers per game.

But then he got hurt and missed 12 games with a broken pinkie and the Knicks’ offense hasn’t been the same since.

Even when Felton returned for the last three games in the month of January, the offense changed. It’s now based primarily on isolation and less on moving the ball and relying on Felton to make decisions and move the basketball.

In the month of February the Knicks went only 6-5 and Felton’s assists per game dropped to 4.9 while turning the ball over 2.5 times per game.

Now we get to the even more disturbing month of March when the assists have plummeted to 4.4 per game and the turnovers have skyrocketed to 3.5 per game. As a result the Knicks have gone just 4-4.

Felton has had only one game this month with more than four assists (10 at Cleveland March 4) and has four or more turnovers in four of the eight games, including a whopping seven against the Pistons on March 6.

That’s unacceptable from your point guard, so is the fact that Felton has only four games this season in which he has recorded double-digit assists.

To Felton’s credit, he is shooting 48.3 percent from the floor this month, clearly his best month of the season, but Felton is here to do more than just score and he isn’t right now.

His play has gotten worse and the Knicks have suffered because of it.

There are a couple reasons for the struggles.

One is because Mike Woodson has allowed this offense to run primarily on isolation. There is very little motion and movement in the offense and it takes away from Felton’s strength- the ability to penetrate and kick.

The other is the fact that Felton is playing with a lot of people who struggle scoring the basketball.

In the starting lineup, James White and Iman Shumpert aren’t good options offensively as they have both struggled from the floor. The Knicks aren’t going to dump the ball down to Tyson Chandler very often, so that means giving the ball to Carmelo Anthony and standing around and watching what ‘Melo does.

Then there have been the likes of J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd and Steve Novak.

Novak and Kidd have struggled from the floor and when Smith touches the ball it is another situation of standing around and watching him force up too many shots.

Felton had good chemistry with Amar’e Stoudemire, but now that he is out, there are very little other options for him to create for, which is why Felton is shooting more than creating.

There is also the inability of Woodson to go back to the pick-and-roll, where Felton excels, particularly with Chandler.

Chandler averaged close to seven field goal attempts for the first three months of the season, which is around the number where he should be at. But he is down to 4.4 attempts this month which is also unacceptable.

Felton has struggled for sure as the turnovers especially need to come back down, but it is more of a case of the system has changed on him.

No longer does he have the keys to the car.

If the Knicks are to have success the final month of the season, they need to get back to what worked. They have slipped to 29th in the NBA in assists, which means the ball is simply not moving.

It all starts with Felton.

Woodson has to put his point guard in better positions to have success or it will be another early summer.

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Anthony’s return to Denver didn’t go exactly as he planned, scoring only nine points on a miserable 3-of-12 shooting performance. But his night was cut short, to the delight of the Pepsi Center crowd who chanted “Where is ‘Melo” after Anthony left the game early in the third quarter with a sore knee and did not return.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News was quick to report that Anthony is heading back to New York for tests, which includes having his knee drained on Thursday, which isn’t a good sign for ‘Melo, at least for the final three games of their current west coast road trip.

Carmelo is headed back to New York for tests tomorrow. Wow

— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) March 14, 2013

Mar 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) returns to the bench for the timeout against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

However, the way Anthony’s mysterious knee injury has been handled by all parties involved has been very poor.

First of all, any injury too ‘Melo’s knee could have serious impact on the Knicks playoff chances and things could have been handled much better.

There’s the fact that on March 6 Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said that Anthony had a fluid buildup in the back of his right knee.

So if that’s the case, why not get it drained then? Why wait eight more days and allow Anthony to play on a hurt knee?

He left the Denver game early and only played 22 minutes, but why on earth would Woodson have him on the floor in the fourth quarter with a sore knee Monday against the Golden State Warriors. The Knicks lost that game by 29 and Anthony played 32 minutes, including some late in the game when he should have been resting.

I know ‘Melo wants to be out there, but here is the thing. He either has to gut it out and play through the pain or get the knee taken care of. He can’t keep going out there and delivering poor performances then use the knee as a crutch when things don’t go so well.

It’s hard to play basketball with a hurt knee. You can’t blame Anthony for trying, but someone needed to step in and take the decision out of Anthony’s hands.

Blame the Knicks medical staff here as well.

He sat out three games and I’m sure the thought process was that the knee would heal, but if he was still complaining about it all week, which he was publically, someone needed to step in and have something done. It makes little sense to run your franchise player out there when he is obviously not capable.

Then there is Woodson again.

Before the Denver game, Anthony said that he likely wouldn’t be able to play Thursday against Portland because he knew his knee would be too sore.

If that’s the case, then why was he on the court Wednesday night?

I know that Anthony wanted to play in Denver- his first trip since the trade- but if he wasn’t able to gut it out, he shouldn’t have been out there for a game in mid-March.

Ultimately the rest of the Knicks team are the ones that have to pay for the way this situation was handled since Anthony asked out of the  game last Monday (Woodson didn’t take him out) in Cleveland.

Depending on how this knee situation plays out, the Knicks could surrender very valuable games in the standings.

For that, everyone is to blame. From the medical staff, to Woodson and even Anthony himself.

They’ve turned a simple knee draining into a comedy.

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Even with Kenyon Martin stepping in to fill the role formerly filled by Wallace, the Knicks need to find a way to address that problem for the stretch run.

Mar 9, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks won the game 113-84. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has hinted at a potential roster move upcoming, telling Newsday’s Al Iannazzone that he will talk to general manager Glen Grunwald after this five-game trip “and start assessing” their options.

“I think we have until the latter part of March to make some decisions,” Woodson also said.

The interesting part of any roster move is that Woodson also noted that any move the Knicks would contemplate making wouldn’t be at the expense at releasing Wallace.

Being at the current maximum of 15 contracts, the Knicks would have to cut a player and eat their salary in order to add a player.

With Martin starting to play more minutes, it is all but assured that he will be re-signed for the remainder of the season when his second 10-day contract expires on Thursday.

That would really leave only Wallace, but Woodson has been adamant that the Knicks won’t consider waiving Wallace.

The only other option could be James White, but it makes very little sense to waive a healthy player and eat his contract.

As far as adding a player, there isn’t much out there to get excited about.

The Knicks have been linked to Lou Amundson for some time now, but he was just signed by the New Orleans Hornets.

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The above is an exaggeration, of course, but such is the view Knicks fans have had of Woodson through the course of the Knicks’ first 61 games. The truth lies somewhere in-between both radicals; Woodson began the season coaching brilliantly on both ends of the floor, and has lately been doing, quite frankly, a poor job of coaching a team with a number of problems. Some of those problems do not necessarily reflect Woodson’s coaching. Woodson, for instance, has nothing to do with Steve Novak and Jason Kidd missing wide open 3-pointers; he cannot physically force players to communicate on defense or run hard to close out on a shooters. Woodson also can’t help the fact that his team just keeps getting injured.

Or can he?

This is the topic that has had media and the Knicks’ fanbase up in arms since last night’s embarrassing 92-63 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Down double-digits in the second half, showing no real signs of fight, Woodson kept the Knicks’ two indispensable stars, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, on the floor far longer than he should have. Anthony, visibly laboring in his first game back from a knee injury and providing little effort or help on either end of the court, remained on the court, moving at half-speed, awkwardly, unable to defend David Lee, incapable of punishing smaller defenders like Klay Thompson. Chandler, though he was playing fine and providing a much-needed service for these Knicks, was kept on the floor and later brought back into the game for what reason? A comeback attempt was futile, and it seemed Woodson was simply running up the odometers of his two most important players on the opening game of a tough, important Western Conference swing.

Likewise, one has to wonder if Woodson’s increase of Amar’e Stoudemire’s minutes led to the power forward’s eventual demise. Stoudemire, who was on a very strict, 30-minutes-maximum limit played three straight games of 32 minutes, 31 minutes, and 29 in his last three games before it was announced he’d need to undergo knee debridement for the second time this season. With the increased minutes, Stoudemire played wonderfully in the three games, posting averages of 20 points per game on 53% shooting, with 7.6 rebounds per game, and 1.3 blocks per game. Now the Knicks will likely be without Stoudemire’s services for the remainder of the regular season, and perhaps the playoffs, too. Prior to the announcement that Stoudemire would need surgery, Woodson was asked about breaking the 30-minutes cap on STAT. He simply replied, “oops.”

Other key Knicks’ players are playing extended minutes, too. J.R. Smith is averaging a career-high in minutes; Tyson Chandler is above is career average in minutes per game; a soon-to-be 40-years old Jason Kidd is playing nearly 28 minutes per game. This makes Woodson’s insistence to play the likes of James White or Kurt Thomas over Pablo Prigioni and Chris Copeland puzzling, too. Woodson continually starts James White at the small forward, only to be play a designated, production-less six minutes before inserting Smith. Pablo Prigioni, though usually not a huge factor to the team’s success, has seen his minutes fall off in recent weeks, despite the relief he could bring Kidd. And Chris Copeland, though a non-factor on defense (as could be argued with most of this Knicks’ roster, really), could provide a scoring punch to the team, but Woodson refuses to play him except for in garbage time.

With Stoudemire and Rasheed Wallace out, and Marcus Camby ineffective in small minutes and likely still on the mend, Woodson will be forced to play Kenyon Martin a decent amount of minutes. This, too, will likely lead to health problems for Martin who hasn’t played NBA basketball since last May. Too many minutes, and there is a chance that Martin’s body will wear down in the same fashion as Wallace’s.

As mentioned, some of the Knicks’ problems are not directly Woodson’s fault. Though he installed a poor defensive system that allows way too much switching, Woodson cannot actually make the Knicks stop switching every time players cross paths. The regression of Smith, Felton, Kidd, and even Anthony’s shots are also not Woodson’s fault, as their high early-season percentages were bound to decrease as the season wore on.

However, it’s undeniable that Woodson needs to make adjustments to straighten out his team. As Eastern Conference teams like Miami, Indiana, and Brooklyn have begun to make surges towards the top of the standings, the Knicks’ hold on the #2 seed looks flimsier and flimsier. Heavy minutes, a questionable rotation, and increasingly ineffective game plans have the Knicks looking quite vulnerable to drop a few places in the standings.

I believe Mike Woodson has the ability to turn it around given just a bit of luck, but to do so, he must get out of his own way to help the team.

That made sense, but the seven seconds that followed did not.

After Smith clanged the potential game winner off of the back iron the general feeling was on of befuddlement, as if to say: “That’s the best shot you could get coming out of a timeout?”

So who’s to blame here? Was the problem with the design of the play or the execution?

Actually a little of both.

Mar. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson on the sidelines against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

First of all, Mike Woodson’s play call was awful.

Of course you are going to go to J.R. Smith in that situation, but you have to get him the ball in space, not tied up near the corner where Smith doesn’t have any options.

If that was going to be the design, the Knicks would have been better off not calling a timeout and instead getting Smith the ball  in transition with a chance to do something in space.

Raymond Felton said to ESPN’s Ian Begley that Smith was option No. 1 on the play and he was the second option. Apparently, Amar’e Stoudemire was the third option.

Woodson on the other hand seemed to have a problem with the execution, telling Begley:

“We got the movement, but it was so sluggish the way we got into it. We didn’t fire off of it like we should have. I was trying to get guys to go in a different direction. The play was for J.R. But once he actually caught it, he looked up at the clock and when he caught it and faced he could have just gone with it because everybody was plugged into their guys. He could have ripped through it and went to the rim. But he didn’t and settled for the jump shot.”

He does have points because the execution was definitely flawed.

When Smith catches the ball, he absolutely cannot turn his back to the rim for three seconds. The moment he did that, the game was over.

Smith has to get moving towards the basket to either create a better look for himself or for one of his teammates. That obviously did not happen.

Veteran teams and coaches aren’t supposed to panic with the game on the line, but that is exactly what happened Thursday night as the failure to execute in the final seven seconds wasted a great team effort.

It’s not the first time though.

Whether it is Carmelo Anthony or Smith getting the ball with the Knicks attempting to tie or take a lead in the final seconds of games, the Knicks rarely ever get a good look coming out of a timeout. Smith has hit a pair of buzzer beaters to win games, but those were on him, as they had very little to do with play design.

It’s true that with guys like ‘Melo and  Smith, there is going to be a lot of isolation involved at the end of games, but it is the coaches job to put his team in the best position to win games and that is something that hasn’t happened.

Thursday night against the Thunder was just another example.

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That begs the question of if Woodson is starting to succumb to the pressure of winning in New York a little bit.

Woodson was a big part of turning the Knicks season around a year ago, but if he is going to get the credit for that, he has to be given a fair share of criticism as well for the fact that the Knicks have gone only 16-16, since beginning the season 18-5.

Mar 4, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson points to the bench in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Woody admitted to making some crucial mistakes lately, which includes not playing Amar’e Stoudemire in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat and playing Carmelo Anthony Monday in Cleveland when he asked out of the game because of knee problems.

But there have been other signs that Woodson may be getting tight under pressure, including watching the Knicks continue to get off to slow starts before he made a change to a starting lineup that statistically doesn’t play well together. Then there are the unsettled rotations that Woodson uses. Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert have been back for a while now and often it appears that Woodson doesn’t know how and when to use them. Finally there are things like allowing J.R. Smith to continue to freelance and shoot the Knicks out of runs and even games.

Woodson has preached accountability and will act accordingly when some other guys do things that prove costly to team success, but when it comes to Smith, he continues to look the other way.

But all that is expected.

People tend to forget that Woodson hasn’t had a full team to coach all season.

Injuries have not only affected the success that the Knicks have on the court, but the way Woodson attempts to coach the team.

“I’m still learning, as a coach, this group of guys because we are so new and haven’t been around each other very long,” Woodson said on “The Stephen A. Smith & Ryan Ruocco Show (via ESPN’s Ian Begley).” “There’s six, seven new faces on this team. Everybody thinks it’s supposed to click right now. And I’m a realist. If you look at Miami’s situation, it took them a few years to get where they are. We’re trying to jam everything into three, four months … coming out of (training) camp and it’s not easy. I’m still trying to juggle and try to figure out rotations and things of that nature.”

Personally I still think Woodson is a good fit for this team, but there are some issues.

He is still a coach who has never won a playoff series and the things he was preaching last season and early this season clearly aren’t getting through to this team anymore.

Very few players give effort defensively and the Knicks don’t play good team defense like they used to. The Knicks were at their best offensively when the ball moved. That’s not the case anymore as often the ball stops with Smith or Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks have to settle for whatever shot the two can create, often a forced bad shot.

The good news is that Woodson still has time to get his message through to this team and get his rotations figured out before the playoffs.

The bad news is that if he doesn’t, Woodson may have to wait a while longer to finally win a playoff series.

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The Knicks announced that ‘Melo is questionable for Wednesday night’s game vs. the Pistons and called his injury “a stiff/sore right knee.’’

Mar 4, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives between Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard C.J. Miles (0) and power forward Tristan Thompson (13) in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony’s knee injury isn’t viewed to be too serious and there is no structural damage, which is a good thing. But ‘Melo has been dealing with a sore knee for a couple of weeks now, so Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson giving his superstar an extra day of rest may not be the worst idea in the world.

‘Melo injured the knee Monday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers when he took a spill with 6:51 left in the second quarter. Anthony went straight to the locker room and never returned.

But Woodson said later on that he made a mistake by having Anthony on the floor because he had asked out of the game earlier on, complaining about his knee bothering him.

If Anthony can’t go against the Pistons, expect to see more of J.R. Smith and Steve Novak off the bench with Amar’e Stoudemire playing a lot at the 4.

Even if Anthony can go, now may be a good time for Woodson to start using more guys and scaling down the minutes of his best players with an eye focused on the playoffs.

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By that I mean they hate every single shot Smith forces up, but when he makes them, they love him.

But something has to be done about Smith’s care-free offensive performances. If Mike Woodson and the Knicks coaching staff don’t reel Smith in and do it soon, it will be the rest of the Knicks teammates who ultimately pay the price with another early playoff exit.

Mar 4, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Marreese Speights (15) and small forward Luke Walton (4) in the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Playoff basketball is different. Teams defend better. With that being said, Smith cannot be permitted to continuously take the Knicks out of their rhythm offensively by not only continuing to force up bad shots, but continuing to pass up open looks so he can jack up a more difficult shot.

Woodson, like most head coaches, likes to throw the word accountability out there, but now is the time to practice accountability instead of continuously preaching it.

Smith is a scorer and a pretty darn good one at that and scorers need to shoot the ball, but there is a difference between getting shots within the flow of the offense and doing what Smith does on a nightly basis.

When Smith was playing his best basketball of the season, up until the All-Star break, we saw a lot of Smith fitting into what the Knicks were trying to do as a team and as a result he was being mentioned in Sixth Man of the Year talks. That hasn’t been the case as of late.

The past three games have been perfect examples of how Woodson needs to tighten the leash on Smith.

There was the 5-of-13 performance against the Washington Wizards, the 5-of-18 performance against the Miami Heat and the 6-of-17 performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

What all of these have had in common has been Smith holding onto the ball more than usual and forcing up questionable shots that the Knicks don’t need. The ball movement stops when it hits Smith’s hands, and that is not a recipe for beating good teams.

To his credit, Smith is contributing in other areas, including rebounding, but if Woodson can’t reel him in before the playoffs begin, other teams are simply going to allow Smith to shoot the Knicks right out of games, especially with the volume of shots he takes per game.

Sunday against Miami, the Knicks blew a lead partly because Smith was 5-18 from the field, but he also went only 3-14 on his 3-point attempts in 36 minutes. He is a veteran so he should know by know that when he is struggling, it isn’t good for the team to keep chucking up three’s with a hand in his face. There are better options than being selfish and trying to get his jumper going.

Then on Monday, Smith did his best to try and erase what was a great comeback by the Knicks as several times with the Knicks attempting to take the lead or extend their lead to two possessions, Smith continued to take bad shots early in the shot clock, when there were other options to be had.

Woodson, Smith’s biggest supporter could be seen numerous times during the Cleveland game glaring at Smith as he tried once again to shoot the Knicks out of a game.

If Woodson had any hair, Smith would have turned it all grey by now.

I like the way Smith has bought into playing defense and being part of team success, but that hasn’t been the case the past 10 games or so.

Then there is the continued lack of professionalism Smith has shown his entire career.

Apr 26, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson talks with New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) after a foul call during the first half. The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-84 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

One of your best players doesn’t need to be getting in continual Twitter battles with fans over his poor play. Instead he needs to act like a pro and figure out ways to help his team win games. When he starts talking about fans mothers on Twitter, he doesn’t just make himself look immature, but represents the team that pays him in a very poor fashion.

The biggest question is why isn’t Woodson holding Smith accountable for selfish offensive play and lazy effort defensively? He seems to do it with anyone else.

Smith is a big part of why the Knicks will or will not have success the rest of the season. Production from him means that much.

But Woodson is a part of the problem also.

Smith continues to get major fourth quarter minutes, often playing the entire fourth. If he is shooting well and playing unselfish basketball, then that is fine as he needs to be out there. But when he’s not and reverts to the old J.R. who is lazy defensively and forces up shot after shot, then there are better options including Amar’e Stoudemire, who rarely gets minutes down the stretch of games.

You can make the case that Smith is the Knicks X-Factor the rest of the season. However it’s not just about shooting the ball and putting up big scoring numbers. Smith has to do a better job of understanding score and situation and making the smart play often goes a long way in winning games instead of forcing up a contested shot.

For Smith to have a positive impact on any Knicks success, Woodson is going to have to find a way to reel him in and hold him accountable.

If he doesn’t, it could turn into another early summer in the Big Apple.

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But just watching the Knicks’ offense fall apart Sunday in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat begs the question of if Mike Woodson should use STAT more down the stretch in close games.

The reasons Stoudemire doesn’t see many fourth quarter minutes are understandable.

Mar. 3, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

First of all is his lack of ability at the defensive end. Stoudemire often looked like he was taking notes to write a book on Sunday as the Heat beat him back door to the rim on numerous occasions while he stood flat footed and watched. It’s hard to have those types of defensive breakdowns on the floor late in close games.

Then there is the fact that we have seen times over the course of the past two seasons where Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony have their issues playing together and spacing the floor properly.

Again, in close games it is hard to afford potential breakdowns at either end of the floor.

But the Knicks missed 11-of-17 shots in the fourth quarter — including seven of their final nine — as the Heat turned a four-point deficit into a six-point win.

Maybe STAT helps in that department.

Stoudemire has been playing well. He has been efficient at the offensive end and has added a spark to a sometimes dormant Knicks offense.

Often in the fourth quarter Anthony turns into the Knicks only scoring option, outside of some bad forced shots from J.R. Smith.

It makes sense to have other scoring options on the floor. Sometimes it is better for a coach to not overthink things and simply put your best players on the floor.

On Sunday STAT played just 21 minutes, with just four coming in the fourth quarter, and scored 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting. In a close game that the Knicks should have won, Stoudemire could have made a difference.

But he can’t help the team win sitting on the bench with his warmups on.

Of the 165 fourth-quarter minutes he’s played, just 24 of those are in the last five minutes of games with the Knicks ahead or behind by five points.

Give Stoudemire credit for not complaining about not playing meaningful minutes down the stretch of close games, as he simply told the New York Daily News’ Frank Isola “Coach’s Decision.”

But for the Knicks to have greater success down the stretch, especially in tight games against good teams, that number needs to increase.

It’s hard to watch the Knicks lose games they should win when their best players are sitting on the bench.

You never want to go down with bullets left in your gun and that is exactly what Woodson continues to do.

If the Knicks lose by using their top guns then fine, but continuing to lose games by not playing their best players when they should be on the floor is beginning to turn into a problem.

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But don’t expect Martin to be going anywhere as the Knicks are expected to re-sign K-Mart to a second 10-day contract.

According to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson confirmed that the team will re-sign Martin to another 10-day deal after his current one expires Monday night.

Woody says #Knicks will keep Kenyon for at least another 10-day deal. Barring injuries/roster issue, he’ll prob be here for rest of year.

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) March 3, 2013

That’s not much of a surprise as it is widely expected that Martin will be around for the rest of the season, especially since Rasheed Wallace recently had surgery on his left foot and will be out for about eight weeks.

Feb. 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kenyon Martin (3) warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The 35-year-old big man joined the Knicks on February 23rd, after the team had opened up a roster spot by trading Ronnie Brewer to the Thunder.

However even with Martin on the roster, the Knicks are still very thin up front because he isn’t quite in game shape yet. K-Mart has played only five total minutes during the course of his first 10-day deal.

That could change quickly though if both Martin rounds into shape and Marcus Camby comes back healthy.

Camby was in uniform Sunday against the Miami Heat and dressed for the first time since January 10, being sidelined with a plantar fascia injury in his left foot.

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However games aren’t played on paper and apparently the Knicks second unit doesn’t get much respect around the league.

One sign that the Knicks aren’t as deep as we may have originally thought is the fact that Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has shortened his rotation from 12 earlier in the season to only nine now.

February 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Steve Novak (16) reacts to making a three-point shot against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Another is the fact an NBA scout recently explained to ESPN’s Jared Zwerling that the Knicks second unit doesn’t strike fear in anyone around the NBA.

“Their second unit scares no one,” a veteran NBA scout told Zwerling. ”I’m not sure why they didn’t make a trade.”

What the anonymous scout says does have some merit.

Look at the fact that Tyson Chandler played 42 minutes Wednesday against the Warriors. Woodson simply couldn’t afford to take him out and all of the Knicks older players are playing more minutes than they probably should.

Coming into the season, it was felt that Woodson would be able to manage the minutes of the Knicks vets, but that hasn’t been the case.

The same scout also adds that Woodson’s stubbornness and unwillingness to manage minutes could have his job in jeopardy.

“He is stubborn, and that could get him the ax,” the scout also said to Zwerling. “He definitely needs to play more guys. It would be beneficial to them. It can’t hurt.”

What is Woodson to do though?

Their second unit has problems stopping other teams.

Even when Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin can contribute, will it help?

Guys like Paul George, Rudy Gay and Evan Turner have torched the Knicks second unit lately. Also look at the second quarter against the Warriors when Stephen Curry scored 23 points with most of the Knicks starters on the bench.

They can’t defend the pick-and-roll and rotate very poorly and other team’s players take advantage.

In addition, a guy like Steve Novak routinely gets beat off the dribble, so he puts every else on the floor in a bad spot scrambling to help.

Right now out the Knicks second unit, which includes Pablo Prigioni, J.R. Smith, Novak and Amar’e Stoudemire, teams attack Novak and Amar’e and will continue to do so and will continue to have success.

James White, Kurt Thomas and Chris Copeland have all fallen completely out of the rotation, but in the case of White and Thomas, they represent a mild upgrade defensively.

Does Woodson sacrifice offense for defense more often?

When he took over for Mike D’Antoni, the emphasis was on the defensive end of the floor, but that isn’t the emphasis right now as only Chandler and Iman Shumpert are competent defenders on this team.

Or does he continue to burn his starters out and possibly wear them out before the playoffs come?

My personal opinion is that this scout is being a bit harsh, but his statements do have a lot of merit.

Most teams don’t have a deep bench comparable to the Knicks as Stoudemire and Smith could start for most teams.

However the Knicks second unit must find a way to be more efficient stopping the opposition. If not it will continue to kill them.

As for Woodson, I do think he is stubborn in his ways and think he needs to find a way to mix up his rotations and get more out of his second unit. I don’t agree about it costing him his job, but I do feel that he can maximize the production from the talent that he has in a better fashion.

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Slow starts have been a big problem throughout the course of the past two months, which repeatedly dig the Knicks early holes that they haven’t been able to dig themselves out of.

Feb 22, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Woodson also has been reluctant to make changes to a starting five that doesn’t play very well together.

Now when you have guys like Amar’e Stoudemire and J.R. Smith coming off the bench, the five that start the game aren’t necessarily out there together as much as most teams starting units, but there are more efficient ways to divide up minutes, especially at the beginning of games.

Slow starts have killed this team and let’s examine that more thoroughly.

The starting unit of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Iman Shumpert, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler is the third most used five man combination Woodson has used this season, yet has produced like a unit that shouldn’t be on the floor together all that much.

First of all, they produce only 0.9 points per possession. That’s not good and among the Knicks top 20 five-man units (Per 82 games.com) it is tied for the next to worst offensive production of any unit.

The top combination?

That would be Felton, Kidd, Steve Novak, Anthony and Chandler, who average 1.51 points per possession.

Now let’s look defensively, where many thought adding Shumpert to that unit would pay immediate dividends. It hasn’t worked.

Defensively, the Knicks starting five allows 1.02 points per possession, which is only the 10th best defensive unit that Woodson has put on the floor this season. That translates out to a minus-22 per 48 minutes. Also, not good.

The Knicks best defensive unit this season has been Pablo Prigioni, J.R. Smith, Novak, Anthony and Chandler, which has allowed only 0.87 points per possession.

But there is more that illustrates why the current Knicks starting five is not a good unit to play together.

First their win percentage comes out to only 36.3, which translates into the bottom five of the Knicks top 20 combinations.

Now let’s look at their shooting percentages.

I have detailed the struggles of Kidd and Shumpert in the past but just look at the fact that Shumpert is only shooting a hideous 30.7 percentage from the floor and Kidd is only shooting 21 percent from the floor and 17 percent from behind the arc this month. It is hard to have one guy struggling this much on the floor; much less two of them at the same time, especially since they are having struggles stopping the opposition.

Feb 22, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) brings the ball up the court against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s look at the shooting problems in more detail.

The current starters come in with an effective shooting percentage of only 35.1 percent. Compared to the rest of the Knicks five-man units, only one combination is worse. That’s the 28.0 percent eFG of Kidd, Smith, Chris Copeland, Anthony and Chandler.

There’s also the fact that the Knicks starters are allowing an eFG against of 44.6 percent. That simply means they aren’t defending and ranks them in the middle of the pack among any combination used on the season.

More interesting numbers illustrate that this unit only makes 24 percent of their shots from close range, while allowing the opposition to connect 35 percent of the time.

Finally let’s look at rebounding, an area where the Knicks have not been great this season.

The Knicks starters have posted a rebounding rate of only 49 percent, which makes them only the 14th best five-man unit that Woodson has run out there this season.

Two units have a 58.5 percent rebounding rate. Those are the Felton-Smith-Anthony-Amar’e Stoudemire-Chandler and Prigioni-Smith-Novak-Anthony-Chandler.

Now mentioning Stoudemire, Woodson has made it clear that Stoudemire won’t be inserted into the starting lineup anytime soon. Woodson also noted that his starting lineup won’t change.

All the numbers suggest he is making a mistake.

Some units just don’t play effective and efficient basketball together and that is the case here, especially with Shump playing out of position.

I did mention the fact that these guys aren’t on the floor together all of the time, especially with Shumpert’s minutes restriction, but keep in mind that this unit is the third most used combination in terms of minutes played together throughout the entire season.

Woodson can’t be too stubborn to change things up if the Knicks are to have any chance in the postseason.

The current combination clearly isn’t working.

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Camby, who has been out a month and a half now with a foot injury, started scrimmaging with the team and appears almost ready to go.

January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks center Marcus Camby (23) against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

“Camby’s getting close,” Knicks head coach Mike Woodson told ESPN’s Jared Zwerling. “He scrimmaged a little today.”

The 17-year vet could return as early as Friday and could finally fill the backup center role behind Tyson Chandler that he was projected to fill when the Knicks surprisingly signed him to a three-year deal in a sign and trade deal with the Houston Rockets during the offseason.

So far Camby’s second stint in a Knicks uniform was similar to his first- injury plagued.  He has managed to play in only 14 games this season and played decent minutes in only a handful of those. Camby is averaging only 2.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 10.4 minutes of action.

He could be ready for Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards, but Woodson wouldn’t go as far as to confirm that.

As for Rasheed Wallace, Woodson still said he doesn’t know when or if ‘Sheed will return to the lineup.

Camby’s potential return, along with the debut of Kenyon Martin should improve the Knicks interior defense and will give Woodson a challenge on handing out minutes.

Woodson is currently going nine deep on most nights and that will certainly change when Camby and Martin are ready to go.

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Despite Stoudemire’s improved play and despite the fact that STAT looks like his old self and has been one of the best players wearing a Knicks jersey as of late, Stoudemire will continue to come off the bench and will continue to be limited to under 30 minutes per game.

Feb 24, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

STAT, who made his season debut January 1, and has averaged 13.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and shooting 57 percent from the floor while playing just slightly over 22 minutes per night seems fine with his role for the time being- as long as the Knicks start winning. Stoudemire doesn’t seem to mind coming off the bench, even though he sits on it down the stretch of games despite being one of the only productive Knicks players as of late.

“(If) we keep winning then we’re good. When we start losing a little bit then you start thinking about it,” Stoudemire told ESPN’s Ian Begley after Sunday’s game against the Sixers where he scored 22 points while making 9-of-10 shots from the floor.  ”Whatever the coaching staff needs me to do; I’m there to answer the call,”

However one could make the case that Stoudemire should either be starting or playing more in crunch time, but there are a couple factors that prevent that.

One is the fact that he is still a below average defender and Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson can’t afford to have him on the floor late in games, hoping to avoid defensive breakdowns.

Secondly, Woodson wants to protect the health of STAT.

“He’s still at that 30-minute mark,” Woodson told ESPN’s Jared Zwerling. “I’m just trying to cap it as much as I can in case we’ve got to have him down the stretch. I’m not trying to burn him early. It’s tough from a coaching standpoint, but from a medical standpoint, we’ve got to protect Amar’e, too, for the long haul.”

As far as Stoudemire starting, that’s not going to happen either.

Woodson is stubborn in his ways and is reluctant to change a starting unit that is struggling badly, even though the Knicks are only 15-15 over the course of their past 30 games.

The starting lineup of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Iman Shumpert, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler has produced only 0.9 points per possession and have allowed 1.02 points per possession when on the floor together this season. That’s the second lowest total offensively as any five man unit Woodson has used this season. Defensively, they are average to below average compared to other five man units on the season.

Kidd is shooting an atrocious 21 percent from the floor and only 17 percent from behind the arc in the month of February. Shumpert is shooting only 30.7 percent from the floor in his 16 games this season. Chandler gets less than six shot attempts per game. That leaves the Knicks with just Felton and Anthony as productive scoring options and that means ‘Melo often tries to do too much.

All of that and some other advanced metrics would make you think a lineup change is in order, whether it is Stoudemire or not, but Woodson says it is not going to happen.

“It’s nice to start a game and jump on teams (early) … but that hasn’t been our M-O for the last month or so. Starting STAT, I’m not sure that is the answer,” Woodson said Monday in an interview on ESPN New York 98.7 FM’s “The Stephen A. Smith & Ryan Ruocco Show.” “I think he’s very comfortable with where he is right now, I’m comfortable where he is in terms of coming off (the bench).”

It has been very nice to see STAT return to his old self, but don’t count on seeing more of him any time in the near future.

By the time Woodson realizes things aren’t working, it may be too late.

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After Sunday night’s skirmish with Philadelphia 76ers big man  Spencer Hawes many thought that would be the case once again, but Anthony and Knicks fans alike can sleep better  knowing that ‘Melo won’t be disciplined for his actions.

In the third quarter of Sunday’s game, Anthony hit Hawes in the back of the head as the two were fighting for position on a rebound. Hawes angrily approached Anthony but was pushed away by Tyson Chandler.

Feb 24, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, the league, according to a source, reviewed the matter but has decided against suspending Anthony, who has been in the middle of several skirmishes — both with officials and opponents — this season.

That’s big because the Knicks-only 15-15 in their past 30 games- are losing hold of the Atlantic Division lead and can’t afford to take the court with their best player in street clothes once again.

Anthony is second in the NBA in scoring at 28.4 points per game, but has missed seven of the Knicks 53 games on the season, either due to suspension or injury. The Knicks are only 3-4 in those games.

In addition to being suspended for a game, ‘Melo was also ejected from a December game against the Chicago Bulls for receiving two technicals.

One thing Anthony has had a tough time doing this season is controlling his emotions, something Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson addressed after Sunday’s game.

“He’s just got to control his emotions,” Woodson told Begley. “Melo is a physical player and he likes contact, which is great. He doesn’t back away from contact. We had the altercation and we were able to pull away from it. No punches were thrown. They assessed the technicals and the flagrants the way they saw it and we moved on.”

However while ‘Melo escaped this situation without punishment, you would hope to see less of this type of stuff from him the rest of the season.

More leading the Knicks to wins, something that hasn’t happened frequently enough lately, and less side show stuff from Anthony and his teammates is the only thing that should be on the menu the rest of the regular season.

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The Knicks brought him in for his leadership, championship pedigree, and consistent productivity. You can’t measure a player like Kidd’s value with numbers and stats, but it’s clear that he hasn’t been as productive on the court recently as the Knicks need him to be.

Feb 22, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) during their game against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Kidd has been a model point guard for over a decade now. His career accolades speak for themselves: 10-time All-Star, five-time NBA First Team, four-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, second all-time in assists, second all-time in steals, and third all-time in triple-doubles. Kidd also has two Olympic gold medals and made three NBA Finals appearances with one championship ring.

He is a first ballot Hall of Famer, but the Knicks care about is this season. They didn’t bring him in here his past success; they brought him in here to raise a banner in Madison Square Garden.

Kidd isn’t going to slow down LeBron James or average 20 and 10 this season. The Kidd the Knicks loved was in the first month of the season. In November Kidd averaged eight points, three assists, three rebounds, .7 turnovers, two steals, shot 50 percent from the field and 48 percent from three. Kidd was very efficient and was doing exactly what he was brought in to do.

No shot was bigger than when he hit a three while getting fouled to put a dagger into the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclay’s Center. This was the highlight of Kidd’s December, who averaged 9.9 points, 4.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.

It’s been all downhill in 2013.

Kidd’s numbers have decreased significantly in the new year, especially in February. The Knicks are 5-5 this month and aren’t the talk of the town anymore. Kidd’s numbers have plummeted compared to his early season numbers: averaging three points, two assists, and shooting an alarming 21 percent from the field and 17 percent from three. Those percentages are straight out terrible and aren’t going to give the Knicks any sort of advantage when he is on the court.

Mike Woodson has said numerous times that he believes strongly in his starting lineup. A head coach is going to support his guys when they struggle and you don’t want a player like Kidd, who is so well respected throughout the locker room, feeling pressure for his job.

But I think Woodson has to sit down Kidd and create a plan how to rest him up for the playoffs and make sure he will be playing his best ball then. Kidd’s play was key in the beginning of the season. This is when he was when his legs were fresh.

I don’t think Kidd has lost his touch but that he is just tired. He is a 39 year old playing more minutes than the 22-year-old Iman Shumpert. Once Kidd gets his legs back, he will be efficient and there when the Knicks need him.

If the Knicks can get the Kidd from the 2011 Mavericks championship run, it will be exactly what they signed up for.

That’s especially true of Smith’s antics, as lately he has been just as much distraction as he has resembled a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

Feb 20, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith (8) is guarded by Indiana Pacers guard Orlando Johnson (11) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

According to a story written by the New York Post’s Marc Berman, Smith’s antics are starting to wear thin among the Knicks coaching staff.

You can see why. Smith could only stay unselfish for so long. Now it is back to the old J.R.

Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson, who has been Smith’s biggest supporter ripped his sixth man late in the week, and Smith even managed to get under the skin of Knicks assistant head coach Herb Williams after Wednesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers, where Smith was seen jawing with Williams on the bench before being ejected.

Berman noted that Williams was disgusted with Smith after the game when the media was talking to the Knicks guard.

It takes a lot to get under Williams’ skin, but Smith managed to do so.

When J.R. is playing an unselfish, team oriented game, he is a very nice fit on this team and I give Woodson credit for getting the message through to him. For much of the season Smith has been great, doing much more to help the Knicks win than just score the ball.

But with any Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde situation, that ugly side will come out eventually.

Smith has always been known as a selfish player and a problem for a locker room. Coincidently with the Knicks recent losing streak, we have seen the bad side of Smith come out.

That’s the one who plays a selfish game, forces tons of bad shots, makes things all about himself and runs his mouth non-stop.

The Knicks can’t win with that Smith coming off the bench.

They have to have the Smith from most of the first half of the season to be successful.

Woodson sent a message to his veteran guard and hopefully it was received loudly.

In Friday night’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, Smith was a very efficient 7-of-12 from the floor with four rebounds and four assists. He played in control and didn’t jack up 15 shots from behind the arc like we have seen at times.

That is the Smith that is supposed to help the Knicks win and will do so down the stretch.

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New York Knicks fans can expect to see Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby back into the rotation early in the second half of the season. This will bring much needed energy and a smooth rotation for Mike Woodson’s frontcourt. You can say whatever you want about their consistency or scoring production, but you can’t argue that Camby and Wallace can crash those boards.

Dec. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Rasheed Wallace (36) shoots a free throw against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Carmelo Anthony have been carrying the load of the rebounding effort as of late.

Wallace is still fifth (4.2) on the team despite only playing 20 games and Camby is seventh (3.7) with only 14 games under his belt. The Knicks have no big men off the bench and that really hurts them. Chandler is going to be taxed come playoff time and he is the anchor and heart of the defense. If Camby and ‘Sheed can even give him five minutes more of rest a game, those minutes add up.

Rasheed can stretch the floor with his shooting ability and of course add the toughness he is known for. With Jason Kidd not being the player he was in the beginning of the season, a switch in the starting lineup can come soon. If Woodson sticks with Kidd as a starter, a bench of J.R. Smith, Stoudemire, Steve Novak, Camby, Wallace, and Pablo Prigioni, Woodson would have plenty of options.

We have not seen this Knicks team at full strength this entire season. From Raymond Felton, Stoudemire, Camby, and Wallace, this entire 15-man roster has not been completely healthy yet.

When they start getting their groove and playing their best ball, we can finally judge this team for who they are.

The same team that started off nearly perfect defensively has slipped to having the 11th worst opponent field goal percentage with opponents averaging almost 46% against them. The offense hasn’t been splendid either, as the ball has stopped moving like it once did, and as a result three-pointers made seems to have gone down. Long story short, Mike Woodson has his hands full if he wants to make this team championship contenders.

It has to start with defense. This is not the same team that started the season defensively. People may want to blame it on Amar’e Stoudemire or Carmelo Anthony, both of whom have reputations as subpar defenders, but they’re not the problem. The Knicks’ have been terrible defending the perimeter, and that ineptitude has begun to effect the pick-and-roll defense as well.

The guards in the backcourt are constantly asking for help on defense, which drags the big men away from the paint, and opens up the back door. If the help doesn’t come, the opposing team’s guard has been effective at shooting over our players. In the pick-and-roll there is far too much switching that creates favorable mismatches for the opponent. 

In the last 3 games, shooting guard Alan Anderson had 26 points for the Raptors, Jamal Crawford and Chris Paul had 27 and 25 respectively for the Clippers, and T-Wolve Luke Ridnour scored 20. While you may be able to look past Paul or Crawford, it is unacceptable for guards like Ridnour and Anderson to go off on a team like that.

Felton is returning from 5 weeks off with a fractured pinky, but is playing hard and will figure out his defense. Jason Kidd’s age gives him an excuse, but he is still leading the team in steals with 1.7 per game. Look for him to be fresh after the much needed All-Star break. Surprisingly, Iman Shumpert seems to be a big question mark. When Ronnie Brewer was occupying the Shump’s spot, the team was at its best and firing on all cylinders. Brewer lost his job after he lost his jumper, and Shumpert’s return from ACL surgery was met with optimism after his impressive showing last season. However, he has underperformed, and has looked slow on both sides of the ball. Hopefully, he will return after the break with something to prove after trade rumors reportedly bothered him.

Mike Woodson needs to address these defensive issues. He may have to consider playing Ronnie Brewer more minutes, but that would require Brewer being able to at least hit an open shot when needed. Woodson has said that he thinks what the team needs is practice and teaching time, so if that’s all it will take, then expect a new-and-improved team to hit the floor against the Pacers on the 20th.

What could also help is the return of big man depth. Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby are expected to be coming closer to returning after the break, and hopefully will help on the glass as well as clean up some of Amar’e's defensive mistakes. Keep in mind, however, that Wallace has been rumored to be returning before, and up till now that has always resulted in a bust.

Mike Woodson’s other main concern should be the offense. The Knicks rank 29th in assists, while simultaneously ranking 9th in points per game. An offense that runs through ‘Melo should score a lot of points, and will most likely not involve a lot of ball movement, but is that the recipe for success?

The offense has become very simple. First, Raymond Felton will dribble the ball up the court, see if he can make a play with the pick-and-roll, and if he can’t he may take a poor shot, or pass to ‘Melo. Then, ‘Melo may work in the post and ultimately end up scoring, or the opponent may double the ball out of his hands. Whoever he passes to is supposed to hit a three, and if that three misses, Tyson Chandler is expected to clean up. A good defense knows that you hardly ever can take ‘Melo out of a game, but you can make it so that all of the role players are neutralized, and that has been proven to lead to losses for the Knicks.

Mike Woodson needs to get others involved more in the second half. The team could run more screens for struggling J.R. Smith and Steve Novak. Their struggles are completely different, but both could benefit from the same solution. Novak is continuing his amazing shooting (45% for 2nd best in the league), but defenses won’t let him get open, and therefore take him out of the game. J.R. is simply on a cold streak, which results in him over dribbling the ball into a terrible shot attempt.

Coach Woody should run some more plays for some of the key role players in order to help them get into a groove. Everyone and their brother knows it’s ‘Melo’s offense when he’s hot or the game is on the line, but the team was winning earlier this season when players were open and the ball was moving.

Mike Woodson and this team have proven that they can compete with the best in the league (they boast a 2-0 record against the defending champs). All-Star break is the time for them to begin the return to their elite level, and shut up the haters. Carmelo Anthony needs to be reenergized. Amar’e Stoudemire needs to continue learning defense for the first time in his career. Tyson needs to do Tyson. As for Mike Woodson, he needs to find a nice beach to relax, take in the sites, and slowly figure out how he is going to transform this team into the champions that the posters of the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the locker room say we should be.

Feb 8, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert (21) drives to the basket past Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio (9) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks’ fans can take some comfort in the fact that head coach Mike Woodson appears to have put an end to the Shumpert trade rumors for now, by saying that the team will not be trading Shumpert by the February 21 trade deadline.

Woodson made the statement while appearing on ESPN New York 98.7 FM on Tuesday. When asked by co-host Stephen A. Smith if Shumpert would be in a Knicks uniform after the Feb. 21 trade deadline, Woodson said, “You got it. I don’t need to say any more.”

That’s quite the change in stance for Woodson in less than a week.

Early last week he had tried to help Shumpert shake off the trade rumors, but couldn’t go as far as saying that the Georgia Tech product wouldn’t be dealt.

Shumpert’s name recently popped up in a rumor with the Phoenix Suns in a potential deal for Jared Dudley and any other rumor from now until the trade deadline will almost certainly include Shumpert’s name.

There are two schools of thought on dealing Shumpert.

The first is as Carmelo Anthony recently said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

But if that is the case, do these Knicks, as currently constructed have enough to win a championship? Remember that is the goal here.

The second school of though is win now.

If the Knicks can add a legitimate piece, and it has to be a legitimate piece, it could make sense to go for it now. But you just don’t throw Shumpert in a deal to try and change things up. Knicks’ general manager Glen Grunwald has to bring back an All-Star type of player if he decides to move Shump and that isn’t likely.

My feeling on the situation remains the same and that is that Shumpert’s name will continue to pop up daily in different rumors, but at the end of the day he isn’t going anywhere.

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But we saw a disturbing trend rear its head again in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and that is the fact the Knicks lack of balance on offense is hurting them more often than not.

Feb. 10, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) argues a call on the court against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Clippers won 102-88. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

That is a trend that is more than a bit concerning.

Sure it’s nice to see Carmelo Anthony drop 42 points, but it is a bit disturbing when he does so and the rest of his teammates combine for only 46.

Opposing teams have made it an effort as of late to allow ‘Melo to get his 30 or 40 per game, but instead have concentrated on taking away the other Knicks players, who typically sit on the perimeter and wait on passes to take open three’s.

Those shots haven’t been as open lately.

As a result, the Knicks have been taking more forced shots late in the shot clock, which have allowed the opposition easier fast break opportunities.

That is something that didn’t happen early in the season.

If the Knicks aren’t forcing up bad shots late in the shot clock, they are forcing up shots early in it.

The results have been similar- easy baskets going the other way.

The Clippers took huge advantage of the Knicks lack of balance offensively and so has other teams as of late. That is something that will continue if things do not change.

The percentage of isolation plays continue to go up. So does the amount of bad shots per game.

With a team that shoots as many three’s as the Knicks do, there are going to be plenty of long rebounds, which has led to plenty of easy opportunities for the opposition.

When is the last time a Knicks player has come off a curl to get a pass for an easy mid-range jumper? When is the last time we have seen down screens and players using back cuts to get easy layups or dunks?

It has been a while because it is not happening.

The Knicks are at their best when the ball is moving side to side. That hasn’t happened that much lately as the ball never swings to the weak side anymore.

The way the Knicks have been playing for the most part as of late is not healthy for the long-term.  You saw what happened to the Knicks in the playoffs last season when they were completely dependent on Anthony. When the Knicks become one dimensional, they are easily beatable.

Yet when they are getting contributions up and down the roster, they are a very tough team to beat.

The balance must return, but it is not as easy as the other players scoring more.  Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson must make an effort to keep everyone involved.

You can go to Anthony early and late, but not keeping the rest of the team involved makes this Knicks team look like the team we saw one season ago.

That team wasn’t anything special, but this team has the talent to be so much more than that.

It all depends on how they want to play.

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They have started to get healthy, but one man in particular can be credited for their most recent stretch of good play- Knicks’ center Tyson Chandler.

Feb 4, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 99-85. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The first-time All-Star has been as dominant at both ends of the floor as possibly at any time in his 12-year career. He has been all over the paint defensively, but the work he has put in on the glass as of late has been nothing short of special.

Chandler helped the Knicks defeat the Detroit Pistons on Monday night by grabbing 20 rebounds, doing so for the third consecutive game.

No Knicks’ player has accomplished that since Willis Reed accomplished the feat in December of 1969.

That season ended with a Knicks championship, something Chandler hopes will happen this season as well.

The Knicks have struggled rebounding the basketball all season long, ranking 26th in the NBA, after the most recent stretch of domination, Chandler has helped them climb up to 23rd (41.0 RPG). Hopefully that trend continues and the Knicks keep on crashing the glass at this rate.

It is not that Chandler has been having a bad season, he clearly hasn’t, but something has ignited him as of late.

If a spark needed lit in Chandler, credit Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson for sparking the fuse, giving Chandler a stern talking to before his latest exploits.

Woodson’s message was clear and that was if Chandler was going to be an All-Star, he had to play like it on every possession.

“I didn’t think he was playing complete basketball,” Woodson told Newsday’s Jim Baumbach. “He was taking possessions off. He wasn’t moving the pace offensively and he wasn’t getting it done in terms of rebounding the basketball. And you can’t be an All-Star in this league and not play like it.”

If Woodson was trying to send a message to Chandler, that message was received loud and clear.

“The last thing you want is for people to start questioning you,” Chandler said. “And I agreed . . . Sometimes you need that. You need a little push.”

It’s no secret that the Knicks feed off Chandler’s energy and emotion. He’s is their emotional leader and when he is providing that on a nightly basis, this Knicks team is very tough to beat.

It’s no coincidence that the Knicks recent winning streak has coincided with Chandler’s improved play.

Now the key is for him to keep it up.

Chandler doesn’t have to grab 20 rebounds a night, but he must continue to play like the dominant center that he is.

I have no doubt that he will do exactly that.

Chandler is a winner, a leader and a pro’s pro. He is the type of player that young big men should emulate.

It’s not always about flash and highlights, but instead about winning and doing your job.

Very few do it better than Chandler.

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But maybe that will all change in the upcoming weeks.

Dec. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Rasheed Wallace (36) shoots a free throw against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson said that Wallace, who has been out since December 15 with a stress reaction in his left foot, could get back to practice after the All-Star break.

The Knicks are starting to put things together now that they are starting to get healthy, but imagine how dangerous they will be come when they can add the defensive presence of Wallace back to the lineup.

‘Sheed may never be 100 percent healthy the remainder of the season, but if he gets healthy enough to give the Knicks 10-12 minutes per night off the bench, he will have value the rest of the season.

Speaking of injured big men, Woodson also hopes Marcus Camby can return to practice after the All-Star break, but sounded a lot less optimistic.

“I don’t know about Camby,” Woodson told ESPN’s Ian Begley. “They’ll continue to do their therapy work through the break. I’m hoping to have one of them back. Hopefully Rasheed will be back on the floor.”

Camby has been out since January 10 with a left plantar fascia injury.

If neither guy makes it back after the All-Star break, the Knicks seriously must look to consider adding size to their frontcourt, which will be hard given the fact that they currently have 15 guaranteed contracts.

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The Knicks are ninth in the NBA in scoring at 100.7 points per game, but after taking a closer look, Woodson is actually right.

January 30, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson reacts to a technical foul during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

They offense as a whole has struggled the entire month of January, averaging only 95.8 points per game after averaging 102.3 during the month of December.

That’s a huge drop off for a team with the talent of the Knicks.

In addition, while being the third most efficient team in the NBA offensively, averaging 108.6 points per 100 possessions, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder (109.9) and the Miami Heat (109.1).

But things haven’t come as easy to the Knicks as of late.

There is one reason for that and it is as simple as ball movement.

The first month of the season, the Knicks moved the ball as well as any team in the NBA and were one of the top assists teams in the league. Slowly the ball movement started to deteriorate to the point that the Knicks are now only 26th in the league, averaging only 19.9 assists per game.

That is a direct correlation to isolation plays going way up.

Take Sunday’s win against the Atlanta Hawks for instance.

The Knicks ran isolation plays 23.4 percent of the time, including in the fourth quarter in which every single possession was an iso set. It worked out as the Knicks got the win, but it is not healthy for the Knicks’ offense in the long-term.

When the ball stays on one side of the floor and stops in the hands of Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, the Knicks become much easier to defend. Granted, Anthony and Smith are the Knicks two best scorers and have success in isolation sets, but that trend can’t continue.

The amount of pick-and-rolls has been down and you can count the times the ball has seen both sides of the court in the same possession on one hand.

While this team still has their issues defensively, ranking as only the 16th most efficient team in the league by allowing 103.2 points per 100 possessions, they have improved by allowing only 94.5 points per game in January, which is a good sign.

Now the offense has to get back in rhythm as well.

When it does, you very well just may see this Knicks team take off again.

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January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 114-106. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

“Well [Kidd] will be back tomorrow [against Milwaukee], so we will put him back in the [starting] lineup.” Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson told ZagsBlog.com’s Matt Falkenbury.

Kidd’s back is still sore but isn’t viewed as being serious even though he only played a combined 20 minutes in games against Philadelphia and Atlanta before sitting out Wednesday against the Magic.

The future Hall of Famer played only five minutes against the Hawks on Sunday, so he has had close to five days off to rest.

How much Kidd pays against the Bucks remains to be seen though?

He is not on a minutes limit, but Woodson did want to start cutting him back to make sure his legs are fresh for the postseason.

In addition, Milwaukee boasts one of the fastest backcourts in the NBA with Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, so it is unlikely that Kidd will see a lot of time guarding either one defensively.

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Jan 17, 2013; London, United Kingdom; New York Knicks forward Amar

In his first six games back, Stoudemire played under a 20-minute limit, and took some time to get adjusted. He bricked bunnies at the rim, couldn’t time his rebounds and jumps correctly, and looked even flatter than normal on defense. He averaged 9 points per game on 44% shooting with just 3 rebounds per game.

However, over the previous seven games, Stoudemire is starting to show glimpses of his old self. While he still lacks his normal explosion, a consistent jumper, and a competent sense of what to do on defense, Stoudemire is finishing around the basket much better, fitting into the offense, rebounding at a better rate, and at least giving effort on the defensive end. In the last six games – in which the Knicks are 5-2 – Stoudemire is averaging 15.8 ppg on 64.9% shooting, with 5.4 rpg, while attempting 6.3 free throws per game in just 23.9 minutes per game.

Per 36 minutes, Stoudemire’s numbers look like those of an All-Star forward. His scoring per 36 is up to 20.2 ppg from last year’s 19.2, and his FG% is better as well. He is averaging less rebounds per game and less blocks, but overall, Stoudemire is starting to look like a consistently valuable member of the Knicks’ rotation.

Likewise, as has been discussed, Stoudemire is blending in with his fellow frontcourt co-stars, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler. When the three have shared the court this season (granted, in just under 108 minutes so far – a small sample size), the Knicks are a +31.  According to nbawowy.com, on offense, when the three have played together, each player is shooting above their season average FG% (well, Tyson Chandler is 66%, down from 68% on the season, but hardly anything worth complaining about). As a team, in 120 possessions, the Knicks are shooting 49% from the field and averaging 1.15 points per possession.

Equally as encouraging, Stoudemire, Anthony, and Chandler are blending in defensively. In 120 possessions – again, a small sample size – opponents are shooting just 41.9% from the field and averaging only .94 points per possession.

To put it simply: the Knicks are out-performing opponents on both ends of the floor when Stoudemire, Anthony, and Chandler are playing together. Who could’ve seen this coming a month ago?

Mike Woodson also deserves credit, though. Woodson, so far, has successfully mixed three players that had far more detractors than supporters. Of course, a big difference in Stoudemire’s ability to function between Anthony and Chandler stems from the fact that the Knicks now have Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni at the helm as opposed to Toney Douglas, Baron Davis, and Mike Bibby. However, Woodson encouraged Stoudemire to seek out Hakeem Olajuwon’s help this summer. Thus far, Olajuwon’s lessons have helped turn Stoudemire into an effective post player (nearly 31% of Stoudemire’s possessions come in the form of post-ups). Many people doubted Stoudemire’s ability to change his stripes after ten years in the league, but he is proving them wrong.

Woodson has also managed Stoudemire’s minutes nicely. He is yet to play over 30 minutes in a game and has yet to start a game. Stoudemire, of course, deserves a ton of credit for accepting a role off the bench (something another power forward is having trouble with), but Woodson seems to have Stoudemire in a perfect rhythm as of late.

Stoudemire has done a near 180-degree turn through the course of January and it still seems as though he has work to do. He likely will still regain a little bit more explosiveness around the basket which will help his rebounding and ability to finish, and he is learning the defensive schemes and rotations. If his improvement on the offensive end in recent weeks is anything to be taken seriously, we should all be excited about having Amar’e Stoudemire back on the court.

But there is a chance that the Knicks could still send three to Houston for the game.

Jan 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson gestures during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler won’t be joined by another player, but there is still a chance that Mike Woodson could coach the Eastern Conference team.

Currently the Knicks (27-15) are 1.5 games back of the Miami Heat (28-13) for the East’s best record and if the Knicks overtake them by February 3.

The Knicks have three winnable games by then against the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings, with all three coming at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks are 15-6 on the season.

Miami has things a bit rougher in that span as they play the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors, with all three games coming on the road, where the Heat are only 10-10 on the season.

It’s doubtful that Woodson ends up coaching in the All-Star Game, but the opportunity could be there if the Knicks take care of business on the court.

If they win their next three and Miami loses 2-of-3, the Knicks will get that third All-Star that they deserve.

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However one vital weapon off the bench has been missing for much of the season- sharpshooter Steve Novak.

January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Steve Novak (16) shoots against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Novak parlayed his success last season in which he led the NBA in three-point shooting into a four-year deal, but so far this year, that contract hasn’t paid off on a consistent basis.

It’s not that Novak is having a bad year. The problem is that Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson must find ways to get him more involved in the offense.

Novak is shooting 44.3 percent from behind the arc, which is good for third in the NBA and above his career average. But the problem is that he isn’t getting many looks at the basket.

That has been especially true in the month of January where the Marquette product is only averaging 1.7 three-point shots made per game. Again, that isn’t the problem. The problem has been that he is only taking 3.7 shots per game.

If Novak isn’t getting the opportunity to get shots up, then it is almost pointless to give him minutes as he doesn’t provide value anywhere else.

His attempts have trended down every month of the season.

In November, the seven-year pro averaged 5.1 three-point attempts per game, which is fine. But that number slipped to 4.4 in December and only 3.7 in January. This month, Novak has taken five or more shoots in a game only four times. In addition, has made just one 3-pointer in his last four games. That is something that has to change.

Last season, Novak took eight or more shots in 22 of the Knicks’ final 41 regular-season games and he and the team had tremendous success because of it.

What’s been the problem?

The answer is as simple as ball movement.

The Knicks moved the ball great the first month of the season, which attributed to their great start out of the gate. Just three months later, the Knicks don’t move the ball at all now and   guy like Novak has suffered.

Whether that is attributed to injuries at the guard spots remains to be seen, but the Knicks have gone back into isolation mode where the ball stops, mostly when it hits Carmelo Anthony or J.R. Smith’s hands.

Both ‘Melo and Smith have been playing well, so it is hard to argue with their success, but it is not good for the Knicks long-term.

Other teams have game planned to not allow Novak to get the ball, but that is something Woodson must solve.

The ball has to start moving again.

When it does, the Knicks will again begin looking like a dominant team and Novak will be a big part of that.

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The latest injury concern belongs to point guard Jason Kidd, whose back is beginning to concern the franchise.

Jan 26, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks guard Jason Kidd (5) during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers defeated the Knicks 97-80. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Once Iman Shumpert returned to the lineup, Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson was looking forward to cutting down the veteran’s minutes, but not due to injury. Kidd played just five minutes in the Knicks’ win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday after being limited to just 15 minutes in Saturday night’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Woodson said on the radio yesterday that he expects Kidd to play on the radio Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. Woodson also said he was just resting Kidd and there was no injury.

But according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, a Knicks source told him that Kidd wasn’t simply getting rested and was getting treatment on his injured back.

If that is indeed the case, then there is cause for concern.

Isola also notes how secretive the Knicks have been this season regarding injuries.

He writes:

The Knicks, though, have a recent habit of not being forthcoming regarding injuries. In October, they continued to list Amar’e Stoudemire as day-to-day with a sore knee until Stoudemire needed surgery and missed the first two months of the season. Rasheed Wallace was also listed as day-to-day with what the Knicks described as a sore left foot when in fact Wallace suffered a stress fracture. Wallace is now approaching seven weeks since he last played.

Even when Kidd missed the first of four straight games in November due to back spasms, Woodson said Kidd was a game-time decision even though Kidd did not even travel with the team to Brooklyn.

The Knicks are 12 games above .500 despite not having a full complement of 15 players available to them at any point this season. The likes of Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, J.R. Smith, Stoudemire and Kidd have only appeared in two games together this season.

Injuries continue to hit this team hard and you have to hope that eventually Woodson will have a completely healthy team.

Kidd appears to be the latest victim.

Will he play on Wednesday?

Only Kidd and the Knicks organization knows for sure, but one thing is for sure. There is reason to be concerned.

The Knicks starting lineup tonight in Philadelphia will be as follows:

PG – Raymond Felton – 15.8 PPG, 6.3 APG

SG  – Jason Kidd – 8.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.0 APG

SF – Iman Shumpert – 6.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG (Only played 3 games, 20 MIN a game)

PF – Carmelo Anthony – 29.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG

C – Tyson Chandler – 12.1 PPG, 10.9 RPG

Knicks nation is ecstatic to have Felton back in the lineup, as the Knicks were 20-8 with him in the starting lineup and 6-6 without him. It’s hard for any team to consistently win without their floor general playing, so Knicks fans weren’t panicking too much with the Knicks recent play.

It will be very interesting to see what Mike Woodson is going to do with his rotation. He basically has two point guards, a shooting guard, a small forward who can pay the stretch four, and a pure center in his starting lineup. I have no problem with this lineup, with two defensive players, one guard and one big man, on the court at the same time, along with offensive playmakers in Carmelo and Felton. Kidd is a do-it-all player so it’s hard to take him out of the lineup, as he started 35 out of the 36 games he’s played in.

J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni should still see their playing time when the starters need rest, along with a rejuvenated Amar’e Stoudemire off the bench. Woodson should try to get Amar’e and Felton on the court as much as possible since it’s no secret they feed well off each other. Felton and STAT haven’t played together in nearly two years, since the 2011 All-Stat break in February 2011. It will be very interesting to see if or when Woodson puts Stoudemire in the starting lineup with Felton since he has come alive in these last couple games.

If Amar’e finally gets his first start of the season, who will come off the bench? It will come down to either Shumpert or Kidd and it seems like Woodson loves Shumpert in the starting lineup, wasting no time putting him in there as soon as he was healthy to play. A bench of Jason Kidd, J.R Smith, Pablo Prigioni, Steve Novak, Chris Copeland, and a healthy Marcus Camby isn’t too bad.

As the Knicks starting getting to full strength, Mike Woodson will have to make big decisions on his lineup and rotation. We would all love to see everyone healthy from here on out so we can start seeing defining roles and minutes, along with continuity (thanks Clyde).

Felton is a big part of the Knicks present and hopefully future success, and Knicks fans couldn’t be happier to have him back.