Carmelo Anthony getting close to shutting it down
By Evan Massey
New York Knicks superstar forward Carmelo Anthony is getting close to deciding to shut it down for the remainder of the season due to knee soreness.
Carmelo Anthony has been dealing with knee soreness for the entire season so far and it has bothered him in a big way. The New York Knicks as a whole have been a major disappointment and there is a good chance that Anthony will choose to shut it down this season and not risk further injury moving forward.
Carmelo Anthony says he irritated his knee again while planting. "it's the same thing, just very sore."
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) February 10, 2015
Carmelo Anthony says he is getting closer to the point when he needs to shut it down. "I'm restricted."
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) February 10, 2015
At this point in the season, New York is sitting at 10-42 on the season. Phil Jackson has already admitted that his first full season with the Knicks has been an absolute disaster. There are plenty of changes coming in the future, but the Knicks cannot afford to put Anthony at risk for further injury.
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Through the first 40 games that he has played this season, Anthony has averaged 24.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He has shot 44.4 percent from the field overall and 34.1 percent from behind the three-point arc.
It would be a wise decision for him to shut it down this season. Anthony still has plenty of excellent basketball left in him, but making his injury worse would be a huge factor in his long-term ability. At 30 years of age, Anthony needs to start considering ways to rest his body rather than put extra stress on it.
Anthony has to be disappointed with his decision to return to the Knicks this past offseason. He could have been a key piece for the Chicago Bulls and almost decided to go ahead and do that.
There are plenty of changes that need to made next offseason by the Knicks. Obviously they need to bring in a legitimate starting point guard and a second scoring option to support Anthony.
If they can do those two things, they might come back next season with a fighting chance to surprise the entire league and make a run at the playoffs.
All of that being said, this is a lost season in New York and Anthony needs to give up on it. His knee is much more important than picking up a few more wins. Don’t be surprised to see Anthony call it quits this season in the next week or two as his knee continues to bother him each time he steps out on the court.
Hopefully this won’t be a lingering issue and he can get back to playing at 100 percent next season.