New York Knicks

In a wild, roller-coaster ride of a season, one that felt like three seasons in one, from Linsanity and Beyond, there was one undeniable result as the story came to a bitter, anticlimactic end following a five-game first-round playoff elimination by the Miami Heat.

There's no question this team underachieved and fell well short of the preseason talk of contending for a championship. But considering where things started at 8-15, and where things were at 18-24, it could have been much, much worse.

"If we didn't make the playoffs," interim coach Mike Woodson said, "it would have really been ugly."

And that might be the most positive thing to say about the 2011-12 season for the Knicks.

Among the many, many questions this franchise now faces in the offseason include extremely critical decisions to be made with the head coach, where Woodson appears to be on the verge of shedding the interim title but Phil Jackson still lingers in the hearts of desperate New Yorkers.

Another issue involves wunderkind point guard Jeremy Lin, who will be a restricted free agent and could command the entire mid-level exception, which would leave the capped-out Knicks with little else to use to upgrade the roster.

And then, of course, there's the worn-out debate regarding the team's two main stars, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, who have yet to dispel the notion that they cannot successfully co-exist in the offense. As Anthony re-emerged as a prolific scorer at the end of the season in mostly isolation sets, the injury-prone Stoudemire, who missed 13 games late in the season with a back injury, became an afterthought.

"I'm getting tired of hearing that, man," Anthony said. "I get tired of hearing, 'Can it work? Will it work?' We're here to play basketball, man. When we win, it works. When we lose, it don't work ... I get tired of hearing it. We'll figure it out. I don't think it's something that difficult to figure out. It'll get figured out."

That'll be up to Woodson (or, perhaps, Jackson) to get figured out before training camp opens in October. While Woodson, along with Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler, has the Knicks playing tough defense again, it was offense that escaped this team in the playoffs against the Heat. If this team is going to attempt to talk championship, they're going to have to raise their level of play and learn to play together the way championship-caliber teams do.

"We have to concentrate, the guys that are here, coming back better," Chandler said. "We have to make sure we come back as better players."

The belief is that they will benefit more than any other team in the league with a full training camp and some long-awaited stability. But there also needs to be some urgency. These three main pieces are in the prime of their careers. The time is now to make a run at a championship that this franchise has waited to celebrate for what will be 40 years next spring.

"It's all about winning," Woodson said. "We've got a short (time) frame here, man. My clock is ticking just like a lot of these players' clocks are ticking ... We don't have a lot of time."

SEASON HIGHLIGHT: "Linsanity" was something that not only helped resuscitate a season on life support but created an international phenomenon that will be impossible to duplicate. The Jeremy Lin story, which began when he entered the second half of the Feb. 4 game against the Nets, took an undrafted, twice-waived guard and turned him into a star. He had 25 points off the bench to lead the Knicks to a victory that elevated him to the starting point guard role and his heroics sparked a seven-game winning streak and brought the Knicks back to .500 at 15-15.

TURNING POINT: Though "Linsanity" provided a desperately-needed jolt midway through the season, it wasn't until Mike Woodson took over as interim head coach on March 14 that the Knicks really got it turned around. The team was six games under .500 and outside of the playoff bracket when Mike D'Antoni stepped down. The coaching change shook the team in a positive way and resulted in a five-game winning streak. Woodson led the Knicks to an 18-6 finish, which was enough to clinch a playoff berth in the second-to-last week of the regular season.

• Jeremy Lin took some criticism in New York for not playing in Game 5 against the Miami Heat, despite ramping up his workouts in practice in the fifth week of his recovery from minor knee surgery. Lin at the start of the series said he was 85 percent healthy and hoped he might be close to returning by Game 4 or 5. When he suddenly backtracked and stayed out of Game 5, with the team down 3-1 in the series, some critics said he let the team down. Lin after the season ended clarified his situation: "When I worked out, I was probably going 80-to-85 percent and I just figured in a week I might be 100 percent. I think to get from 85 percent to 100 percent takes more time than I would have thought."

• When Amar'e Stoudemire fouled out of Game 5, the public address announcer at American Airlines Arena in Miami had some fun at the expense of the Knicks star. The announcer said Stoudemire was "extinguished." The remark was in reference to Stoudemire's regrettable moment after Game 2, when in frustration he whacked a fire extinguisher case outside the visitor's locker room at the arena and suffered a deep gash in his left hand. The injury caused him to miss Game 3. The Heat apologized for the announcer, Michael Baiamonte, in a statement, which said he "had a momentary lapse in judgment and used a poor choice of words."

Quote To Note:

"Next year, I guarantee, is going to be a much more exciting and better year for us."

—Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire.

Most Valuable Player:

Tyson Chandler won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award not because of gaudy individual statistics or outstanding personal performances against the game's top centers. It was because of the impact he had on a team that, for far too long, had a reputation as one that didn't play defense. Chandler has changed that perception and his presence in the locker room as a leader, and a guy with a championship ring, is indispensable.

Most Disappointing Player:

Statistically, this was the worst season Amar'e Stoudemire has had since his rookie year. Stoudemire (17.5 points per game) struggled to find the explosion in his legs and the scoring touch that he displayed in his first season in New York. The questions still linger about his ability to co-exist with Carmelo Anthony. Will a full offseason where he can train, plus the addition of a pick-and-roll point guard, help him get back on his game next season?

Biggest Needs:

Though the roster had experienced point guards in Baron Davis and Mike Bibby, both were too far past their respective primes (and in Davis' case he was physically broken down) to be consistently effective. If Lin is the answer at the point, the team still has to find a capable, experienced point guard who can run an offense, still be effective in big minutes and can mentor Lin.

Free Agent Focus:

Lin is the main priority among the free agents on the roster, as the team will be worried about another team signing the restricted free agent to an offer sheet that will impact their ability to improve the roster in other areas. Landry Fields is a restricted free agent, as well. Sharpshooter Steve Novak is an unrestricted free agent the team would like to re-sign but may also have competition there. Jared Jeffries, too, will be unrestricted and someone the team would like to re-sign.

Player Notes:

• G Jeremy Lin?s return to the New York Knicks appears fairly certain, but he?ll be a restricted free agent this summer and his agent cautioned that there are no guarantees that he wouldn?t be tempted by an offer from another team.

  "I don't expect that. We're not anticipating that's going to happen. We don't have assurances of anything," Lin's agent, Roger Montgomery, told the New York Post. "I know history shows most restricted free agents go back to their team, but I'm not going to assume anything. We're waiting to see what happens."

  The Knicks will be able to match any offer that the point guard receives.

  Knicks coach Mike Woodson said after the season that Lin will be back, but Lin has said he'll wait and see.

  "There's always going to be uncertainty until the final contract is signed, so definitely nothing is set in stone," Lin said. "Nothing's set in stone until it's really written."

  Lin is recovering from surgery on April 2 to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee that kept him out of the Knicks? first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat.

• G J.R. Smith, who was 3-for-15 in the Game 5 loss, responded to harsh criticism from fans on Twitter by remarking that fans "may get what they wish for." Smith has a player option for next season but is expected to opt out into free agency. He later said he was joking around and wishes to stay with the Knicks, but if he opts out it is not likely.

• F Carmelo Anthony won't have much time off this summer, as he will report to Las Vegas in July for training camp for USA Basketball. Anthony is expected to be on the roster for the Summer Olympics in London come August.

• F Jared Jeffries remained in New York City after the season and has become a regular at playoff games for Madison Square Garden's NHL tenant, the New York Rangers, who are currently playing in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Medical Watch:

• G Jeremy Lin (left knee surgery) plans to take a few weeks off to allow his knee and muscles to rest before he begins a rigorous offseason program to prepare for next season.

• G Iman Shumpert (torn ACL in left knee) has already begun the rehabilitation process after undergoing reconstructive surgery. He is not attempting to rush the process and is aiming for a December return.

• G Baron Davis (ruptured ACL and MCL, torn patellar tendon) has not made any definitive decisions about his future. After undergoing surgery, he will require a 12-month recovery, which means his return to the NBA would not be until the 2013-14 season, when he will be 35.

• C Tyson Chandler (sore left hand) said he will not require surgery for a bruise that had been bothering him most of the season.

• F Jared Jeffries (sore right knee) is expected to go to Europe to undergo the same blood-spinning procedure used by Kobe Bryant.