Say it ain’t so, ‘Melo.
Carmelo Anthony was chastised for shooting just 40.6 percent from the field during the New York Knicks’ playoff run, yet it turns out he struggled for a good reason.
According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, an MRI revealed that New York’s superstar—who was visibly playing through pain—suffered a small left shoulder tear. Both he and the Knicks are hopeful he won’t need surgery.
An MRI reveals that Carmelo Anthony is suffering from a small left shoulder tear, Daily News has learned. Knicks hopeful no surgery needed
— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) May 23, 2013
The plan, according to a Knicks source, is to give Carmelo’s shoulder 3 to 4 weeks to heal on its own. If not, then surgery is probable
— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) May 23, 2013
What is it exactly that Carmelo is dealing with? A partially torn labrum. How serious is that? Kurt Heilin of NBC Sports’ ProBasketballTalk breaks it down for us:
he labrum is a type of cartilage found in the shoulder join and helps keep the ball in the socket of the shoulder. The tear can make it feel as if the shoulder is coming out of its socket, something Anthony reported, according to Isola.
Small tears in the labrum can heal with rest and treatment, however if surgery is needed that is at least three months before he could resume basketball activities and maybe as many as five (and both the doctors and Knicks would want to bring him along slowly).
Heilin’s timetable is accurate. Should Anthony need surgery, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the average recovery time for an athlete after such a procedure is four months.
Dr. Neil Roth, an orthopedic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital, says surgery to repair a shoulder tear could sideline an athlete for 4 months.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 23, 2013
So, I think it’s safe to say I speak for everyone in New York when I say: Hoooooly Sheeeeet.
The Knicks cannot afford to be without Anthony. At all. He’s their only superstar, and I’m including Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler and even J.R. Smith in that assessment as well.
Going on 29, Anthony isn’t a kid anymore. Any injury is serious, especially one that would require surgery. And most definitely one that has the potential to impact the mechanics of his jump shot or how he plays in the post.
Hopefully, the Knicks (and ‘Melo) get lucky, and he won’t need surgery. Hopefully, it heals on its own. If it doesn’t, the Knicks need to get Anthony under that knife ASAP.
Three weeks from now puts us in the middle of June. Should we believe the three-to-five month recovery period we’ve been provided with, the earliest Carmelo could return is the middle of September, and the latest he could return is the middle of November.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGHmwEQ2aUg
What’s all the fuss about, though? The worst-case scenario has him coming back in the middle of November. That’s practically the start of the season. Isn’t that good enough?
Er…
You want ‘Melo to go through training camp. He and Stoudemire haven’t been able to get through an entire offseason together without one of them getting injured since Anthony came to New York. You want him to have that time to re-adjust to his teammates and regain his form. What you don’t want is him returning midway through the first month of year, cold as all hell (okay, bad example).
New York can’t afford to be without his production. Not when Chandler doesn’t score, Stoudemire is as fragile as a vase and Smith is Smith (and still a free agent).
Speaking of production, though, could we all take a minute to recognize that Anthony averaged 28.8 points per game for the playoffs with a torn labrum? And that he went 14-of-29 from the field against the Indiana Pacers in Game 6? And that he’s one of the only reasons the Knicks didn’t lose earlier in the NBA playoffs?
Seriously, all this talk that ‘Melo being a cancer who will never win a championship is now absurd. Truthfully, it was absurd before, but now it’s even more so. The dude’s a fighter. And he did what he could. Even the most equally disgruntled, often unreasonable and self-loathing New Yorkers, need to appreciate that.
They also need to pray that Carmelo doesn’t need surgery. That’s all there’s left to do at this point.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
