More on Carmelo Anthony Injury
Carmelo Anthony’s right shoulder is hampering him, but he said he will continue to try to play through it. Anthony started feeling soreness in the shoulder during last month’s West Coast trip, and he missed the Dec. 13 game against the Warriors. He hasn’t sat out since then and said he doesn’t plan to shut it down for a stretch to rest it.
“I don’t think it will get to that point,” Anthony said. “I think now it’s just a tolerance level, seeing what I can do and what I can’t do. I don’t think it’s a situation where I’ll shut it down. Maybe a game here, a game here. Just play it by ear.” Anthony said if he were to miss a game, it would be more for “overall rest and recovery” and not necessarily because of the shoulder. He said he hasn’t missed any practices because of it.
Anthony said he plans to return Monday versus Orlando after banging knees with New Orleans forward Dante Cunningham in the first quarter Friday. “I was able to get through the [New Orleans] game,” Anthony said. “I was contemplating if I was going to give it a go. I decided at the last minute go out and play and try to get through it. The more I tried to play and run on it, it got too sore.”
Ian Begley: Carmelo Anthony (sore right shoulder) will not play against Golden State tonight, the team says. No Derrick Rose (back) either.
Anthony, who has had soreness in his surgically repaired left knee this season, believes he will be fine and will be able to commit to playing in a record fourth Olympics for the men’s national team. “I want to go,” Anthony said. “I look forward to being a part of that.
Anthony’s surgically repaired left knee has already cost him seven games this season while robbing him of a quick first step and any explosiveness at the rim. The Knicks have copped to giving Anthony one MRI but according to a team source, Anthony has had two MRIs in the past three weeks so the concern over his long-term health is very real. “Today, it wasn’t that sore,” Anthony said. “I think the couple of days off helped.”
