Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony said Thursday that he has likely played his last game of the season because of ongoing soreness in his left knee.
Anthony, who has battled the knee pain for months, aggravated the injury in Monday’s loss to Miami, and sat out Wednesday against the Magic. He told ESPN Radio that he still plans to play in Sunday’s All-Star Game in front of his hometown fans at Madison Square Garden, even if it is just for a couple of minutes.
“I don’t think the fans deserve [seeing me miss the game],” Anthony said via Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “They voted me in for a reason, so at least I can show them that I appreciate that by just participating in the game.”
If surgery is required, Anthony wants to get it done soon so that he is ready to go for next season.
“That’s why if anything was to get done, I want to get it done right away so I’m not taking time and missing training camp and things like that,” Anthony said. “When I come back to training camp, I want to be sharp.”
With the Knicks at a league-worst 10-43, there is no reason for Anthony to try to tough it out the rest of the way. New York is expected to have at least $30 million in cap space to spend this summer, so perhaps Anthony can get an early start on some free-agent recruiting.
“I know what it takes to play in New York,” Anthony said. “I know who can handle New York and who can’t handle New York. … If I’m coming to you, that means I really want you to come over here and join forces with me.”
If not, maybe he can at least help out with fan relations during his upcoming downtime.
