Last Saturday night was a disappointing finish to the season for the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony. Despite his 39 points, Anthony wasn't given a pass for scoring just four fourth quarter points by fans or the media. However, according to the New York Daily News, Anthony may have found his "get out of Knicks jail free" card.
An MRI of Anthony’s shoulder revealed a partially torn labrum, according to a Knicks source, and he may need surgery. The Knicks are hopeful that the injury will heal on its own and the club has told Anthony to rest for the next three to four weeks, at which point he will be reevaluated.
After re-injuring his shoulder in Game 5 against Boston, Anthony's shooting percentage plummeted to 42 percent, while he was constantly seen grimacing and holding his left shoulder. In the second round, he continued to relentlessly attack the rim against the Pacers physical UFC defense, but something was clearly off about him. Until now, no one was aware of the severity of the injury, including Anthony.
“It was bothering me since it happened,” Anthony told the Daily News. “To be able to play with that and get through the pain, it just came to a point where you just try not to think about it. That’s where I was at mentally.”
It wasn't on the level of Isiah Thomas scoring 25 points in a quarter on a badly sprained ankle, but those retrospectively gritty performances should earn Anthony a few brownie points for next season from Knicks fans. A partially torn labrum is a justifiable reason for his erratic shooting, and Anthony deserves props for not making excuses. But it doesn't explain what happened to J.R. Smith and Tyson Chandler.
