Melo likely to undergo surgery on his troublesome knee…
The New York Knicks will reportedly make it official that Carmelo Anthony is out for the rest of the season in a statement on Wednesday evening.
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Anthony has been struggling with knee soreness throughout the year, and it is expected that he will undergo surgery in the coming weeks to resolve the issue.
The 30-year-old featured in the All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, and although he struggled, he reiterated before the game that he wanted to reward the fans that had voted for him by playing even if hurt.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Anthony will be ruled out later on Wednesday and he will have surgery which rules him out for the rest of the season.
ESPN sources say that Knicks will officially rule Carmelo Anthony out for rest of the season later Wednesday
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 18, 2015
It is undoubtedly the best move for both player and team given that the Knicks are not going to compete for the playoffs this year and want Anthony healthy ahead of a big season next year.
Team president Phil Jackson has already started the process of rebuilding the team, and the Knicks will hope to secure some big-name free agents this summer to build around Anthony and get back to competing in the Eastern Conference.
Jackson will have significant salary cap space to work with after trading away JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cleveland Cavaliers, while they also waived Samuel Dalembert and agreed on a contract buy-out with Amar’e Stoudemire.
New York will also be hoping for a high Draft pick in the lottery this season and that is likely to happen with or without Melo. As a result, the move makes sense for all concerned despite the fans being left disappointed that they will not see their main star in action again until next season.
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