The New York Knicks are trying to keep focused on the positives, but right now there simply are not any. The team is back from London after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks which extended their losing streak to 16 games while their overall record is just 5-36 on the year. While no one expected the Knicks to be true contenders, no one expected this either. The team has a lot of decisions to make in the coming weeks before the NBA trade deadline and the health of Carmelo Anthony could dictate.
Anthony has been on and off the court with a knee injury that could require surgery and cause the guard to be shut down. At this point, the Knicks are not making the playoffs making it not worth the risk when it comes to Anthony's health. He is the face of the franchise and the main recruiting tool for New York come free agency time.
According to Newsday, Anthony expects to play on Monday when the Knicks take on the New Orleans Pelicans. When the Knicks released the injury report, the veteran was not listed which might mean those two weeks of missed action are paying off. Anthony returned to the court in the game in London and scored 25 points while three other players failed to get any. He is hoping the momentum for his health keeps up.
"I took this time off so we really can gauge the injury and see if rest would help it and not make any drastic decisions right away," Anthony said, via Newsday. "Right now I'm just trying to come back and be out there with the team, be out there with my teammates, trying to give them some confidence as young players who've never been through the situation before. I've never been through it before, so we're going through it together."
Anthony's health could factor in to the futures of Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani who are both at risk of getting out-right released after the trade deadline. If Anthony suffers a setback and does get surgery, both Stoudemire and Bargnani will be on the court for the remainder of the season. However, if the veteran feels he is good-to-go then either Stoudemire or Bargnani will have their contracts bought out. According to ESPN's Ian Begley, the Knicks are considering buying out either deal to save money in the long run.
The Knicks are still pushing trade for both Stoudemire and Bargnani along with Jose Calderon. The point guard is really the only player that will attract interest, but his contract is unwanted at this point in the season. The Knicks will likely be forced to just buyout contracts which is rock bottom.