Carmelo Anthony doesn't think knee surgery is an option at this point, but his tune could change if his New York Knicks continue to sink in the Eastern Conference. Sources told Frank Isola of the New York Daily News Anthony's left knee issues have caused a worry that surgery could be necessary.
Could Carmelo Anthony jump ship for knee surgery if Knicks keep sinking?
New York Knicks’ star Carmelo Anthony is dealing with a balky knee, and his team’s 4-20 record might lead to him consider surgery to repair it.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
“I’m not even looking forward to even discussing the surgery or anything like that,” Anthony told Isola. “I’ll explore as many other options as I can before I go under the knife and get surgery. ... That will always be a solution, an option, but that was the last, last option.”
According to the forward, the knee issue won’t become more severe, nor will it improve over the course of the season.
Anthony is averaging 22.9 points per game this year and his shot attempts are down from a year ago. What stands out most are his free-throw attempts, which at 5.3 per game are the fewest he’s taken per game in his career. It has something to do with the Knicks taking the fewest free throws per game in the NBA.
The wonder, then, is whether Anthony will seek out a more specific diagnosis of his knee. It’s also a question as to whether the 4-20 Knicks’ losing will have any impact on his decision making if the knee continues to bothers him.
Anthony signed a five-year, $122 million deal to return to New York this summer, but president Phil Jackson's hiring of Derek Fisher and the implementation of the triangle offense has built discord within the organization. ESPN reported that Anthony was involved in a verbal altercation with second-year guard Tim Hardaway but that fire was quickly hosed down by Anthony, according to the Daily News.
Still, Isola reports that Anthony has been frustrated by the triangle offense that is a producing the NBA's 21st most-efficient offense (nevermind that New York ranks as the league's forth-worst defensive team).
It’s been a long first quarter of the season in New York, and if Anthony decides his season is best spent getting healthy, it’ll be an even darker one.
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