Carmelo Anthony 'full go' for Knicks training camp after knee surgery
The New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony, left, runs past the Milwaukee Bucks' Jared Dudley during the 2015 NBA global game at the O2 Arena in London on Jan. 15, 2015. Credit: Getty Images / Glyn Kirk
Carmelo Anthony has been working out and scrimmaging with his Knicks teammates and is expected to open training camp next week with no limitations after undergoing season-ending surgery in February.
"Medically speaking, I think he is a full go," coach Derek Fisher said Friday. "I had a conversation with doctors recently. So 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."
Anthony averaged 25.2 points in 40 games last season. After appearing in the All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden, he had surgery on his left knee that included patella tendon debridement and repair.
"Health is an important thing to a pro athlete," Fisher said. "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."
There were rumblings during the offseason that Anthony wasn't happy with some of the moves the Knicks made. But Fisher downplayed that, saying Anthony enjoys his teammates.
A group of them, including rookie Kristaps Porzingis, went to Puerto Rico for Anthony's charity softball game. Anthony has continued to train with Porzingis and other teammates in preparing for training camp.
"I just think that he is healthy and feels good about his body and where he sees himself going," Fisher said. "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."
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
