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Knicks News: Carmelo Anthony Cleared For Training Camp

By Kenneth Teape

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The New York Knicks received great news earlier in the day in regards to star player Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, who had surgery on his knee that ended his 2014-15 right after the All-Star break, has been cleared for training camp and will have no restrictions on the surgically repaired left knee.

The surgery was a pretty major one, as Anthony had his patellar tendon repaired in his left knee. It wasn’t a full reconstructive surgery like fellow New York superstar, New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, but it was one that required a length rehab nonetheless of six months. That timetable would have enabled him to begin playing against sometime in September, and it looks like he has hit that goal.

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“Medically, he will be fine. I think we will still gauge how much we want to put him under in terms of workload and stress in training camp and in the preseason. But we don’t have to artificially hold him back from working hard. We just have to kind of gauge how it is responding to how hard we plan to work in training camp, and let’s be smart along the way,” head coach Derek Fisher said while talking to media Friday.

Anthony has been playing 5-on-5 full court scrimmages with teammates in recent weeks, as his knee seems to be responding well to surgery thus far. Anthony was also proactive this offseason getting his teammates together for workouts, evidence by the Instagram posts he had when some of his teammates and Knicks personnel were in Puerto Rico working out with him.

Anthony has come under fire in the media and by fans that he isn’t a leader, but he is doing what he can to shake that label. The 12-year veteran is entering his second year of a massive five-year, $124 million contract and trying to get the Knicks back on track after the worst season in franchise history. Anthony is optimistic about the upcoming season according to Fisher, as the head coach also denied Anthony being upset with the direction the team is heading.

“Although there were questions about what he thought about decisions being made over the offseason, I think he actually enjoys and likes working with these guys and being around them. Health is an important thing to a pro athlete. When you are healthy, your perspective changes on a lot of things, and I just think he is looking forward to having a really good season and helping our team have a good season,” Fisher said.

Anthony had strong numbers last season, averaging 24.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Unfortunantely, he was only able to suit up for 40 games, a career low, because of the lingering pain in his left knee. Without their best player, the Knicks struggled to get wins, finishing with a franchise low 17.

They will look to improve upon that number this upcoming season, as a healthy Anthony and a new group of teammates bring about some optimism for the 2015-16 season. The Knicks will open training camp Tuesday, September 29th at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Next: Who Is The Greatest Point Guard In Knicks History?

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