Carmelo Anthony played in just 40 games last season before undergoing knee surgery that kept him out for the entire second half. Anthony's surgery came right after the All-Star break in February and he has had seven months to work his way back before training camp. The initial prognosis on Anthony's return was four to six months and he is expected to be back on the court when training camp opens up in about a week, according to David Aldridge of TNT.
The exact surgery Anthony had was a left knee patella tendon debridement/repair and he has been working out on the court recently which is a good sign for him going into this season. Melo has even gotten into full-court five-on-five games with his teammates at the Knicks practice facilities which shows he should be full go when the season starts.
When Anthony was on the court this past year he was the typical Melo we have all come to expect dropping a lot of points and playing below average defense. In his 40 games though Anthony's three point percentage and rebounds went way down from the year before when he grabbed 8.1 points per game and shot 40 percent from three. In 2014-15 Anthony grabbed just 6.6 rebounds per game (which is his career averages) and shot 34 percent from three (slightly below his career average.) The way the Knicks roster is constructed the Knicks would love for Melo to go back to his 2014-15 numbers.
The 12-year veteran is an enormous part of this Knicks team going into the season so having him healthy from the get go is imperative. Anthony is the best player on the team and the leader so his play will have a lot to say about how good the Knicks are this year. New York only won 17 games a season ago but with some retooling of the roster they hope to be better and that will fall on their star player's shoulders.
Anthony hasn't played in an NBA game since the 2015 All-Star game so his health and performance will be worth keeping an eye on early in the 2015-16 season. Anthony is reportedly healthy and that's great news for Knicks fans as he is their only hope of having a more competitive season.
