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When the Nuggets visited New York on Jan. 21, Anthony sought out Karl in the visiting locker room before the game. The two hadn’t spoken since the trade. Karl called the discussion “good,” but said the two would benefit more from talking in the offseason. He said he might meet Anthony in Las Vegas this summer for dinner during Team USA’s Olympic training camp. “When it first started, I was like, ‘What are we going to talk about?’ ” Karl said of their Jan. 21 meeting. “He mentioned that we hadn’t talked and he wanted to get things on the table. “I said, “ ‘Melo, in times like this when it’s so emotional, sometimes it’s good to wait. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you. It’s a he-said, she-said thing. I don’t know what you’re really thinking. I’m not going to trust what’s in the paper. I respect you. You’re the best scorer I ever coached. What you did [in Denver] before I got here, and what we did once we got together, is a pretty good run. It doesn’t have a lot of playoff success, but it has a lot of good basketball.’ ” Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Trade, George Karl, Carmelo Anthony 

Chris Miller: Rose DWade LBJ Melo Dwight Howard. East All Star Starters. No surprise Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose 

Savvy NBA fans – by that, of course, we mean you – understood this and voted for their rivals’ top guys to further grind them through a hectic weekend of exertions, obligations and distractions on the road. Alas, casual fans – they know who they are – went more traditional, clamoring for their favorite marquee guys already doing the heaviest lifting. That’s why four of the five East starters from the 2011 game in L.A. are back. So, for that matter, is Carmelo Anthony, who started for the West last year. NBA.com

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony 

Anthony, who missed the last two games, scored 25 points in his return as the Knicks crushed the dreadful Pistons, 113-86, at the Garden. It was as if Melo and his teammates suddenly discovered the secret cure for their bumps, bruises and losing streak. The Pistons (4-19) came in at the perfect time for the Knicks. Mike D’Antoni’s team had lost three straight and now plays three games in three nights starting with Thursday’s nationally televised home game against the Chicago Bulls. “Mentally it felt good to get this game,” Anthony said after the Knicks improved to 8-13. “It was a must-win for us. As a unit we wanted to go out there from the beginning and make a statement on the defensive end.” And yet, as strong as Anthony looked, he wasn’t ready to commit to playing in three games over three days. “I don’t know,” he said. “I just came back. We’ll see what happens.” New York Daily News

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony 

But is it over? Are the problems gone? Hardly. New York begins a stretch of three games in three nights Thursday night at home against the Bulls, then goes to Boston and back home to face New Jersey. Even after a 25-point performance in which he made 9 of 14 shots from the field and also dished out six assists, Anthony didn't want to think about the upcoming back-to-back-to-back. "It's the schedule," he said at his locker afterward. "We have to play it. It is what it is. ... I'm not sure, so we'll see. Right now sitting here talking to you guys, I feel fine. Tomorrow may be a different story." With two days off since their most recent loss in Houston, the Knicks got to load up on two rare commodities in this lockout-compressed sprint of a regular season: rest and practice. "That really helped us," Tyson Chandler said. CBSSports.com

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler 

Howard Beck: Report from @Steve Adamek at the Garden: Carmelo is back in the lineup tonight vs. Detroit. Twitter

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Injuries 

The cavalry isn't coming just yet: Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis did not practice Monday and are doubtful for Tuesday night's game against the Pistons at the Garden, although Anthony said "there's a chance" he can play. "It's getting better," he said of the ankle, wrist and thumb injuries that have caused him to miss the Knicks' last two games. "Get a full workout in [this morning] and see how I go from there." Newsday

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Injuries, Baron Davis 

While D’Antoni refused to say either way, point guard Baron Davis had a setback as he recovers from a back injury. Davis, who has missed all 20 games this season, missed practice Monday. “I think he’s got a little issue, but nothing more than he needed one more day. You’ll have to ask them, the medical reason. but he needed one more day. Tomorrow he’ll gear it up and practice on Wednesday and then we’ll see what happens,” D’Antoni said. Davis, who showed up later for an NBA FIT clinic after the Knicks’ practice, declined to talk to reporters. New York Daily News

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Injuries, Baron Davis 

The Knicks (7-13), who have lost nine of 10, will play four games in the next five nights, including their only three-in-a-row stretch beginning Thursday against the Bulls at the Garden. Anthony said the wrist and thumb are less of a problem than the ankle is. It's more likely that he'll miss Tuesday night's game and return against Chicago. The Knicks then will face the Celtics in Boston on Friday before hosting the Nets on Saturday. "I know I can run, but it's just a matter of me being able to cut and push off that ankle," Anthony said. "It's just getting my pop back in my ankle and getting my explosion back . . . I think my ankle is a little bit worse than I thought it was [initially]. Playing on it for that week didn't really help it at all." Newsday

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Injuries, Baron Davis 

Just as Mike D’Antoni admitted that he is feeling some heat as his team spins out of control, the embattled Knicks’ coach got some support from Carmelo Anthony. “Any time teams are losing, that’s the first thing that comes to mind is the coach, but we don’t talk about that,” Anthony said Monday in Greenburgh. “We support Mike 100%. He’s here with us, we’re here with him. We’re going to roll with that.” New York Daily News

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

"We don't talk about that," Carmelo Anthony said Monday. "Any time teams are losing, that's the first thing that comes to mind is the coach. We don't talk about that. We support Mike 100 percent. He's here with us, we're here with him and we're going to roll with that." D'Antoni, who is in the last year of his contract, was asked if he is concerned about his job. "I don't know," he asked a reporter. "Are you worried about yours?" When the reporter said yes, he is, D'Antoni replied: "Welcome to the club. It's tough out there." Newsday

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

The New York Knicks have lost nine of their last 10, leading to questions about coach Mike D'Antoni's job status. But, according to Carmelo Anthony, D'Antoni's job security isn't an issue inside the Knicks' locker room. "Anytime teams are losing, that's the first thing that comes to mind, the coach. But we don't talk about that," Anthony said on Monday. "We support Mike 100 percent. He's here with us, we're here with him, and we're going to roll with that." ESPN.com

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

As the struggling Knicks await the returns of Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis from injury, they remain alive in the Kenyon Martin Sweepstakes. Andy Miller, Martin’s agent, reiterated by text Monday that Martin will make his decision “by week’s end.” The former Net and Denver Nugget is considering the Knicks, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks. ZagsBlog.com

Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Free Agency, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin 

Howard Beck: Asked about speculation re D'Antoni's job status, Carmelo said, "“We support Mike 100 percent." Twitter

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Injuries 

"The reality is they have a terrible mix of players. Amare and Melo are two of the most 'hold the ball' guys in the league, so their ball movement is atrocious. Everybody saw it going into this -- everybody but [Knicks chairman] James Dolan -- but the dynamic of their point guard situation has made it so much worse. ESPN.com

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony 

Kobe Bryant, dealing with his own knee and wrist issues, would have played last night under similar circumstances, then sat in his team’s next game. The great ones play through these kinds of ailments on big nights. It is what makes them great. “[Anthony] feels [he’s hurting the team],’’ D’Antoni said, giving Anthony the benefit of the doubt. “He can’t make a shot. He’s playing through a lot of pain and it’s not going away. We got to have him 100 percent.’’ Before the road trip, the issue was discussed. “My inclination is we need him,’’ D’Antoni said. “That’s where I am. The medical staff thought maybe we can get through it. We tried the best we could. It didn’t work.’’ New York Post

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Injuries 

Carmelo Anthony has a sore wrist, ankle and thumb, and yesterday morning he came down with a case of The LeBron Flu. With the Knicks’ nationally televised game against LeBron James and the Heat looming last night, with the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Isiah Thomas in front-row seats, Anthony bailed out. He decided to shut it down, spent the entirety of the Knicks’ 99-89 loss in the locker room receiving treatment, and he also will miss tonight’s game in Houston. If Anthony truly felt he couldn’t help the team in any capacity last night, I’d commend him for being a team player. But more likely Anthony felt he couldn’t help the image of Melo The Superstar. New York Post

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Injuries 

Even worse, there is a growing number of general managers and coaches across the league that don’t believe that Stoudemire can co-exist with Anthony. To this point in their respective careers, Stoudemire has been most successful in an up-tempo syste m while Anthony has excelled at a slower, half-court pace. It’s only 18 games into the 2011-12 season—a season which the Knicks have played without a true floor general. But numbers don’t lie. By my count, after winning only one of their four games over the past week, the Stoudemire-Anthony duo is now 18-23. SheridanHoops

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony 

Carmelo Anthony has been ruled out for tonight's game against the Miami Heat and will not play on Saturday in Houston due to lingering pain in his left wrist and right thumb. Anthony has been playing in pain for the past two weeks after sustaining a wrist injury in a loss to Memphis. Anthony missed one game, and since then has made just 40 of his last 126 shots. New York Daily News

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Injuries 

“We’re not thinking about our record playing them,’’ said Anthony, who’s shooting 39.4 percent. “We’re going to lace up our shoes just like they are. Hopefully we’ll be ready to play for that game.’’ The 13-5 Heat may be the Big 2 lately because they have been without Dwyane Wade (ankle). But Miami is 5-1 in his absence. Wade will make his return tonight or Sunday. “I’m born ready for these type of games,’’ Amar’e Stoudemire said. “That’s what I live for.’’ New York Post

New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony