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Knicks’ Anthony to have surgery, out 4-6 months
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The New York Knicks officially shut down forward Carmelo Anthony for the rest of the season and he could be out for four to six months, team president Phil Jackson said Wednesday.
Anthony will undergo surgery on his ailing left knee. The procedure is a patellar tendon debridement and repair, which will remove dead, damaged, or infected tissue that is causing pain and discomfort.
Anthony, the Knicks’ leading scorer, has been dealing with soreness in his left knee for months. Despite the injury, Anthony logged 30 minutes in the All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, scoring 14 points on 6-of-20 shooting from the floor.
“What we’re finding out from the medical is on court, it could be four to six months,” Jackson said at a news conference. “We can’t put it at a timetable until after the surgery. But that’s what they’re saying. They say it can be anywhere between four to six months for Carmelo to be back on the floor.”
Anthony, 30, said before the All-Star Game that he “very likely” would shut down his season after the break.
“It’s pretty crucial what I’m dealing with,” Anthony said Sunday. “I just want to get it over with, get to the bottom of it. … I don’t want this lingering where I’ll be out the whole offseason and then it affects me coming back for next season training camp. Ultimately, it’s about me being smart.”
The 12-year veteran has been nursing the injury since the second game of the regular season.
“We’re really confident that he’ll heal well and he’ll be fine,” Jackson said.
The Knicks entered the All-Star break at 10-43, the worst record in the NBA. The Knicks are 0-13 this season when Anthony sits out. In 40 games, he has averaged 24.2 points on 44.4 percent shooting, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
