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Did Carmelo Anthony Play Last Season Injured Too?

By Kenneth Teape

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Did Carmelo Anthony Suffer His Knee Injury Last Season That Is Keeping Him Out The Remainder Of This One?

The 2014-15 season has been a disaster for the New York Knicks, being punctuated by Carmelo Anthony’s shutdown. Could this possibly be something the Knicks knew would happen, dating back to last season?

According to the New York Post, Anthony played most of last season with a partially torn left patella tendon. If there is any truth to that, the Knicks handed Anthony a nearly max contract this offseason fully knowing of his knee condition.

As it currently stands, this doesn’t mean too much, as Anthony is now out for the remainder of the season. He had successful surgery this past week, but this still reflects poorly on the franchise as a whole and the way that they handle their affairs.

That is a poor way to do business, and would make two consecutive offseasons that the Knicks signed a player knowing they had knee problems. Prior to the 2013-14 season, J.R. Smith was signed to a contract extension and then underwent knee surgery shortly after receiving his new contract. It was reported then as well that the Knicks were fully aware of his knee condition, and still decided to commit to him on a multi-year contract extension.

The Knicks could have used this to their advantage in negotiations with Anthony, as it is hard to imagine another team committing big money to Anthony in the ways that were being reported if knee surgery was in his near future. The Knicks had the advantage from the get-go in negotiations because they could offer more years and money than anyone else, and they used it giving him a nearly max contract, but it is disappointing to hear that they potentially knew about his knee condition prior to this season starting.

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This season has been ugly, but the 4-6 month recovery time is still something no one within the Knicks or fans wants to see. Had he taken care of the injury when it first incurred, this would be a non-issue, but instead it was put off. The Knicks and Anthony should almost be relieved that they didn’t make the postseason last year, as any more wear-and-tear on that knee could have been disastrous.

New York fans have heard about patella tendon injuries much too often in the last sports year, as Victor Cruz was lost to one this past October in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Anthony has seemingly avoided tearing it in the way that Cruz did, but the fact that he went so long without getting things fixed has to make some people worried. If Anthony doesn’t look to be on track to make a full recovery from this injury for the start of the 2015-16 season this will be something that is heightened in coverage as the offseason goes on.

Next: Who were the best athletes in New York Last Year?

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