KNICKED UP

If the New York Knicks were bad with Carmelo Anthony, imagine them without the multi-talented scorer.

Wait. You don’t have to. Hurting through most of the season, Anthony has missed 13 games and the Knicks are (wait for it) 0-13 without him. Of course they are only 10-43 anyway and incrementally the worst team in the NBA.

Anthony is done for the season, the Knicks announced on Wednesday. He’ll have knee surgery that will remove dead, damaged or infected tissue affecting his left patellar tendon. So he’s done and the Knicks lose 24.2 points and 6.6 rebounds a game. Lose will remain the operative word. Injury recovery time is put at four to six months. Anthony is 30 and in his 12^th NBA season. He had never before missed more than 17 games in a season.

“We’re really confident that he heals well,” Knicks president Phil Jackson said at a news conference.

Anthony’s knee began acting up early in the season. He played 30 minutes in the NBA All-Star game at Madison Square Garden in what will now be his final appearance of the season.

The Knicks expect him back next season and they plan to build around him.

“We anticipate that as a scorer that’s been prolific in his career, he’ll continue to be so,” Jackson said.

Time and rehab will tell.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .