Melo to Miss 1-2 Weeks
Added on Feb 07, 2012 by Scott in
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Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony exited last night’s victory against Utah in the first quarter with a strained groin. The injury is expected to keep him sidelined for up to two weeks. He suffered the strain after delivering a pass to Tyson Chandler, and limped to the bench moments later favoring his right thigh. He spent most of the evening receiving treatment in the locker room, but did return to the bench in the fourth quarter.
Anthony leads the Knicks in both scoring and assists. His 22.3 points per game ranks seventh in the league. Without him in the lineup, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler will have to pick up the offensive slack, along with reserve forwards Josh Harrellson and Jared Jeffries.
Stoudemire is averaging 18.2 points, which is his lowest total since the 2005-06 season, and he is currently away from the team to mourn his older brother, who was killed in a car accident early Monday morning. Until he returns, the Knicks will be without their top two scorers and starting forwards.
The Knicks were supposed to contend for the Atlantic conference title after a resurgent 2010-11 season that saw them qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2004. However, the beginning to the lockout shortened season hasn’t gone very smooth.
Through 25 games, New York sits in third place in the division with a 10-15 record, eight games behind the first-place Sixers and four back of the Celtics. Head coach Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced attack hasn’t lived up to the billing. A season after averaging 106.5 points per game, they are netting only 95.0 thus far.
Injuries in the backcourt and not adequately replacing Chauncey Billups at point guard has hampered their ability to run an up-tempo offense. Second-year guard Jeremy Lin provided a spark the last two games, totaling 53 points and 15 assists, but he’s hardly a finished product.
The Knicks travel to Washington on Wednesday to face the 5-20 Wizards.
Source: ESPN.com
