Knicks coach Derek Fisher: Carmelo Anthony could end season early
New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher acknowledged on Friday night that Carmelo Anthony could potentially sit out part of the season due to a persistent knee injury, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.
Anthony, 30, has dealt with soreness in his left knee since the second game of the season and has missed three games so far due to the injury, including the team's 97-81 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
Fisher said that discussion of ending Anthony's season has come up more than once, but noted that it was a suggestion far from implementation.
"From the conversations I've been a part of, I think everybody is smart enough to realize, calendar wise, timing wise, that there may come a point that that's the decision that needs to be made," Fisher said Friday. "But [we realize] that we can't force Carmelo to that point just yet."
Fisher added that any decision would be made with input from Anthony as well as consultations with the team's medical and training staffs. Friday night's loss was the team's tenth straight defeat, and moves New York's record to 5-30, the second worst mark in the league.
• Carmelo Anthony: Knicks would 'crumble' without Derek Fisher
Anthony, who is in the first year of a five-year, $124 million deal, intends to play as long as his knee will let him. According to Begley, New York's training staff has told him that continuing to play will not worsen the knee's condition, but will not allow it to improve, either.
"It's tough. Some days you're able to do some things; some days you're not," Anthony said on Wednesday. "Some days it's tough to even run around and cut and jump. And then other days I come in and I don't really feel it."
Amar'e Stoudemire also missed Friday's game due to a sore knee, his fourth straight missed game. He has been sidelined for six of New York's last seven games. Andrea Bargnani, who sat out the Knicks' first 33 games due to hamstring and calf injuries, also left Friday night's game after two minutes.
• Five Knicks players sit out loss to Pistons due to injuries
The Knicks, second to last in the Eastern Conference, host the Milwaukee Bucks (17-17) on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m.
- Christopher Woody
