Knicks F Carmelo Anthony to have season-ending knee surgery

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee.

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee, the team announced Wednesday

The surgery will include a left knee patella tendon debridement and repair and will be done by the team's orthopedist. Knicks president Phil Jackson said the team's medical staff said Anthony could be out for four to six months. 

Anthony appeared in only 40 of the team's 53 games so far this season while battling a knee injury. 

"This is a necessary step for him to take," head coach Derek Fisher said. 

Anthony missed the two games prior to the All-Star break but denied accusations that he took time off so he would be able to play in the All-Star Game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.

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Rare Photos of Carmelo Anthony

Courtesy of the Anthony family

A very young Carmelo poses on a toy horse. How cute.

2002

Kevin Rivoli/AP

Carmelo Anthony and Hakim Warrick react during the final minutes of an exhibition game against Upstate New York AAU in Syracuse.

2003

Richard Drew/AP

Carmelo Anthony of the national champion Syracuse Orangemen signs autographs as he tours the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. Melo and his coach, Jim Boeheim, rang the exchange opening bell.

2003

Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were the two most-coveted high school stars in 2002 -- Anthony a senior at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia (and with a dread-'fro), James a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary's in Ohio. Anthony went on to win a national championship at Syracuse before being selected by Denver with the No. 3 pick in 2003. LeBron jumped straight to the pros in '03 as the top overall pick.

2003

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

The dynamic duo pose on draft night.

2008

AP

LeBron and Carmelo have remained close over the years. And it's quite obvious they share a lot in common: basketball and affinity for bright leather coats and oversized, diamond-encrusted watches.

2003

Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images

You know those awkward rookie portraits? Here's one of Carmelo.

2003

Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images

And another.

2008

Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images

And here's one from 2008 All-Star weekend. Nice hat.

2008

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Carmelo and Nuggets teammate J.R. Smith enjoy some down time at the Texas-Colorado football game in Boulder, Colo. in 2008.

2007

Courtesy of QVC

Anthony paid the QVC guys a visit in 2007 to help sell ... iPod docks? We're as confused (and amused) as you are.

2006

Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

As part of Team USA, Carmelo and his teammates were treated to some gourmet fare after practice for Hoops for Troops in 2006 in Seoul, South Korea.

2005

Mark Mainz/Getty Images

Carmelo and Diddy (back then he went by P. Diddy) strike a pose at the 2005 All-Star Game.

2006

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Carmelo Gene Simmons Gene Simmons' ''friends'' = Oh my.

2009

Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

'Melo's got love for footballers. Especially when they come to his hometown of Baltimore. He got to meet Brazilian star Ronaldinho and Chelsea's Didier Drogba during a World Football Challenge in 2009.

2010

Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Carmelo shows of his bowling skills at a charity event in Colorado.

2005

Bryan Haraway/Getty Images

'Melo and R&B singer Mario graced MTV's live show, TRL, at the Hard Rock Casino in Vegas.

2008

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo and LeBron attend the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team unveiling of their new team look to fans in New York before they took off for the 2008 Games in Beijing. The ''Redeem Team'' defeated Spain in the final to capture the gold medal, ending an eight-year drought for the team at major international competitions.

2008

Jennifer Pottheiser/ Getty Images

Anthony and Jim Boeheim, a Team USA coach and Carmelo's coach at Syracuse, spent some quality time together in the Big Apple.

2008

AP

The best part of this photo: Check out Barbara Bush and LeBron. They seem to be enjoying a nice bear hug.

2007

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Kenyon Martin, Anthony, Allen Iverson and Chucky Atkins -- Denver teammates in 2007 -- enjoyed a round of video games with local elementary students during the Nuggets' annual holiday party at the Pepsi Center.

2009

AP

'Melo and mini-'Melo (his son Kiyan) spend some quality bonding time with coach George Karl in the Nuggets' locker room.

2010

Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

Here's Carmelo roping a fake calf. Why? Because that's what people were doing at the 2010 All-Star Celebrity Game in Dallas.

2009

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

'Melo and Dontaye Draper travel with all the amenities.

2010

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Pre-wedding festivities at Amnesia in New York City with Amar'e and Kenyon Martin. Pretty sure Amar'e is flashing a ''No. 1'' sign, but it's unclear what Carmelo and Martin are doing.

2010

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Carmelo looks dapper for his wedding with MTV VJ La La Vasquez at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.

2012

Craig Barritt/WireImage for Haute Living

The happy couple still in love.

2011

AP

Grover appears to have Anthony and Stoudemire in stitches on Sesame Street.

2013

Clay Patrick McBride/SI

'Melo flashes a smile during this SI portrait shoot.

2013

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgerald

Anthony and Diddy play stock brokers while attending the annual charity day hosted by Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC at the BGC office in New York City.

2013

Jerritt Clark/Getty Images

Carmelo shows quite the poker face during the 2nd Annual Alan Houston Legacy Foundation charity poker tournament at Espace in New York City.

2013

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

'Melo shows some great peripheral vision, shaking hands with Jimmy Smits while on the court against the Bulls at Madison Square Garden.

Anthony averaged 24.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists this season while posting a 21.7 Player Efficiency Rating, his lowest since 2011-12 (21.1).

New York is playing its first season under Jackson and Fisher. The team set a franchise record with 16 consecutive losses in December and January and currently possesses the worst record in the NBA, at 10-43.

The Knicks resume play on Friday, when they host the Miami Heat.

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