Carmelo Anthony Returns to the Garden

It is only fitting that today January 1, 2020, a name returns to Madison Square Garden that had been a staple of, the now previous, 2010’s decade, Carmelo Anthony. In 2011 the Knicks pulled off a trade to bring the native New Yorker Anthony home. After, three consecutive playoff appearances (2011-2013), a career high 62-point game in front of a Knicks home crowd, and other memories the Knicks traded Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017. Today, the ex-Knick will take the Garden floor in a Portland Trail Blazers jersey, whom he signed with in November 2019 after starting the NBA season as an unsigned free agent. “He is so crafty in how he’s able to score the ball, it’s not just the shooting or the isos, it’s all the things that he can do. He is obviously a very high IQ player,” Mike Miller said pregame. “He’s dangerous out there.” Trail Blazers head coach, Terry Stotts also had words of praise for Anthony pregame. When asked how he has impacted their team, Stotts responded, “In a very positive way. From an offensive standpoint we’ve become a better offensive team. We’ve relied on him probably more than we thought we would when we got him. He’s playing big minutes for us.” He continued, “The experience that he brings, the time that he’s had in the league, his leadership, he’s been a very positive influence in the locker room, I couldn’t be more pleased that we were able to get him.” This will be Anthony’s second time playing at the Garden since being traded by the Knicks, his initial return to MSG was back in 2017 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

As for the Knicks Reggie Bullock (cervical disc herniation) and Frank Ntilikina (sore groin) will be available, Dennis Smith Jr. (strained left oblique) will still be held out according to the NY Knicks PR Twitter account. This marks Bullock’s first game of the season and as a Knick. “Our hope is in these next few games we are going to be able to get him going and get him some minutes,” Miller said of Bullock. “I think he is going to really add to both sides. I think defensively with his length, he’s a high basketball IQ guy, he’s athletic enough he can cover multiple position…Offensively he’s been a shot maker. He’s been a guy that stretches the floor” Bullock is no stranger to shooting the 3 ball, last season he averaged 6.2 shot attempts a game from beyond the arc.

In tonight’s game the Knicks are going to need to defend the three-point line better. “They are a quick strike team. The way that Lillard has played he’s forced defenses to extend their defenses out farther because of how he’s shooting it,” Miller said pregame.

Although, it is likely Anthony will get a kind reception from fans, the Knicks will look to spoil his homecoming and go for the third win in a row.

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