Player Notes

Copeland will "absolutely" play increased minutes going forward, according to Coach Mike Woodson.
Recommendation: Copeland scarcely played in the Knicks' first round series against Boston and played a playoff-high 19 minutes in Thursday's Game 5 victory over the Pacers. The 29-year-old rookie scored 13 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 3 Pt) and made some key hustle plays to spark a run in the second half. More time for Copeland will likely mean less for Jason Kidd and Amare Stoudemire.

Leonard is currently being bothered by a knee injury, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Recommendation: Leonard should be able to play through the injury, as he scored in double digits in every game of the second round against the Warriors. There is only mild cause for concern here, barring a setback.

Bogut said his ankle got sore during the playoffs and got worse during the series with San Antonio when there were fewer days between games, the San Jose Mercury News reports. He'll enter the final year of his contract in 2013-14.
Recommendation: Bogut, who underwent ankle surgery back in April 2012, ramped up slowly upon his return to the court. There was a stretch of time when Bogut was healthy, giving the Warriors big minutes and making an impact on games, but the ankle has remained problematic. The hope is that with smart conditioning in the offseason, and more time removed from surgery, Bogut can regain his offensive game while impacting the defensive end of the floor more consistently and for longer stretches.

Hinrich (calf) isn't expected to require surgery on his ailing calf, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Recommendation: Hinrich's injury is believed to be nothing more than a painful bruise rather than any sort of structural issue, so surgery appears off the table for now. With a full offseason to recover now that the Bulls have been eliminated from the playoffs, Hinrich should be fine for the start of training camp.

Jack, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, stated his desire to remain with Golden State, the San Jose Mercury News reports. He finished the regular season averaging 12.9 points in 29.7 minutes per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from 3-point range.
Recommendation: Jack's had better statistical seasons than he had in 2012-13, but there's no doubting his fit with this particular club. He was the second-leading scorer in the playoffs and was often the primary ball handler, moving Stephen Curry to shooting guard. Both sides would like to see Jack in a Golden State uniform next season, however, he's expected to generate some buzz in the market. And with the development of Harrison Barnes, the Warriors might not be interested in Jack getting the minutes he received this past season.

Garnett will not require off-season surgery to correct his foot/ankle issues, the Boston Herald reports.
Recommendation: Garnett dealt with a number of injuries last season and rarely played at 100 percent. The Celtics' medical staff believes rest will alleviate the veteran's issues, but only time will tell whether that will indeed be the case.

Duncan scored 19 points (7-13 FG, 5-5 FT) and added six rebounds, two assists, and three blocks en route to Thursday's Game 6 closeout victory against the Warriors.
Recommendation: Duncan has displayed his dominance all throughout his career, and this year is no exception. While the Spurs' window is possibly closing sooner rather than later, Duncan appears to be giving his all for perhaps one last chance to add to his championship total.

Coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose (knee) will "be ready to go next year," the Chicago Tribune reports.
Recommendation: Despite the ongoing speculation of his status throughout the year, Rose ended up sitting out all of the 2012-13 season, as he ultimately lacked full confidence in his surgically repaired left knee. A full offseason and slate of preseason games should help Rose regain his mojo for next season.

Martin missed Wednesday's practice due to a sore right wrist, the New York Post reports.
Recommendation: Martin, who is also dealing with the flu, was seen wearing some sort of wrap on the wrist after Tuesday's Game 4 against the Pacers. However, the wrap is considered "precautionary," as the injury is not considered serious. Martin is not listed on the injury report for Thursday's Game 5.

Curry (ankle) was able to log 42 minutes but was eliminated in Thursday's Game 6 loss to the Spurs. He contributed 22 points (10-25 FG, 2-8 3Pt) to go with four rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block.
Recommendation: Curry has had a remarkable season coming back from his major ankle injury last year. Despite a rather early exit in the postseason, the young guard has surprised many. His best days are ahead of him, and this postseason experience can only help him mature to become a better player.

Thompson struggled in Thursday's Game 6 loss to the Spurs, scoring just 10 points on 4-for-12 from the field.
Recommendation: Thompson has been hit-or-miss in the series against the Spurs, playing rather inconsistently even for his standards. The Warriors could have used his offensive firepower, but the sophomore wing failed to shoot better than 39 percent over the Warriors' last four games. Hopefully, he will head into the offseason working on other aspects of his game, so that he can find a way to contribute, even when his shot isn't falling.

Wade (knee) scored 18 points in 37 minutes Wednesday night in Miami's series-clinching victory over Chicago in Game 5.
Recommendation: Wade's been dealing with a knee injury throughout the series and was a game-time decision for Wednesday's game.

Deng (illness) did not travel with the Bulls and will miss Wednesday's Game 5 at Miami, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Recommendation: The absence marks Deng's seventh consecutive in what will likely be the Bulls' final contest of the season. It's unfortunate that a random illness derailed his postseason as well as Chicago's attempts to pull a massive upset over Miami, but he'll look to regain strength as the offseason progresses.

Prigioni may return to the starting lineup for Thursday's Game 5 against Indiana, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Recommendation: Prigioni was held to the bench Tuesday, earning just three minutes on the court. However, if he does start Thursday, he should post something similar to his output from the first three games of the series - 3.3 points (on 50 percent shooting), 4.7 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 0.7 three-pointers, and 0.7 steals in 22.3 minutes.

Randolph was once again too much for the Thunder, scoring 28 points (8-17 FG, 12-16 FT) to go with 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals in 41 minutes Wednesday as the Grizzlies closed out the Thunder in Game 5.
Recommendation: Randolph averaged 25.5 points and 13 boards over the final two games of the second round series, and will undoubtedly be a handful for whichever team Memphis faces in the Western Conference Finals.

Lee (hip) increased his on-court time to 12 minutes Tuesday night in Golden State's loss to San Antonio in Game 5 of their playoff series.
Recommendation: Lee finished with six points, one rebound, one steal and one assist in the loss. With the Warriors facing elimination Thursday night, we suspect Lee will give what he can to stay alive.

Shumpert (knee) said he feels "fine" and he didn't feel any pain in Game 4, ESPN New York reports.
Recommendation: The Knicks are facing elimination in Game 5, so look for Shumpert to play without restrictions as the Knicks struggle to stay alive in the series.