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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Robinson, who injured his left shoulder in the Bulls' previous game, played 47 minutes Wednesday night in Chicago's loss to Miami in Game 5 of their playoff series.
Recommendation: The loss eliminated the Bulls from the playoffs, ending what has been a pretty successful season for Robinson, who averaged 13.1 points per game. When Kirk Hinrich hurt his calf in the playoffs, Robinson filled in and averaged just under 40 minutes per game in eight playoff starts.

Landry finished Tuesday's Game 5 loss to the Spurs with 16 points (4-7 FG, 8-12 FT), six rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Recommendation: Landry started for the third game in a row and chipped in with a solid performance after struggling in Game 4. His per-game numbers during the playoffs -- 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists -- are similar to what he produced during the regular season.

Pachulia's rehabilitation from surgery on his partially torn right Achilles is progressing well, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Regarding his recovery, he stated, "I saw the doctor two weeks ago. I don't have any crutches... Doctors are pleased with how the surgery went and how the recovery is going."
Recommendation: The upcoming unrestricted free agent is confident that the injury will not affect his prospects negatively this summer. Still, Pachulia is just one month into a 4-to-6 month recovery process, which should have him ready to go once training camp starts up in late September. The 6-11, 240 center shouldn't find himself unemployed too incredibly long once free agency commences in July.

Bradley finished with 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks in six playoff games.
Recommendation: Bradley averaged 9.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.4 blocks in the regular season, so his playoff performance was a bit disappointing. That being said, he makes his living by playing tight perimeter defense, and in that regard Bradley was up to the task for most of the season. Despite all the uncertainty in Boston, it would be a surprise if he isn't back next year. The Celtics likely view Bradley and Rajon Rondo as the starting backcourt of the future.

Crawford was able to turn his season around after joining the Celtics, but he struggled mightily during the playoffs, averaging just 4.5 points per game on 30 percent shooting from the field.
Recommendation: Crawford wasn't exactly a difference-maker, but he provided the Celtics with some occasionally valuable scoring off the bench (9.1 PPG), and eventually surpassed Courtney Lee as the team's No. 4 guard. He is under contract for next season, though that hardly assures him of a spot on a Boston roster that may or may not be subject to significant turnover during the offseason.

Bass finished with 8.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.5 steals in the regular season.
Recommendation: Anyone waiting for Bass to make a leap will be sorely disappointed, but the Celtics can usually count on him to log heavy minutes without hurting the team too much. It will be interesting to see if a healthy Jared Sullinger is capable of eating into Bass' minutes in 2013-14. At the moment, nobody really knows what next year's team will look like.

Novak could earn a bit more run in Tuesday's Game 4 at Indiana, as coach Mike Woodson is disappointed with the low number of three-point attempts from Saturday's loss, the New York Post reports.
Recommendation: Novak has garnered just seven garbage minutes in the first three outings of the second-round series, missing both of his attempts from beyond the arc. After attempting just 11 shots as a team from deep Saturday, Woodson may in fact trot Novak out there Tuesday to jump start a stagnant Knicks' offense.