When Carmelo Anthony sprained his left ankle in Orlando last Monday, he thought the mishap was a temporary setback, one that would not keep him out of the Christmas Day game or the home-away set with Toronto. No big deal.
Oops. Bigger deal than he realized.
“Yeah, it was worse than I thought,” Anthony said after going through a limited practice Monday at the Knicks facility in Greenburgh. “The night that I sprained it, I was trying to get back in the game. I went back and taped it up. As soon as I walked out of that locker room, I couldn’t do it.
“The next day, it swelled up on me big time. It kept swelling, so we had to get control of that first then go from there. So it was a lot worse than what I actually thought.”
Anthony said he “hopefully” will return Thursday in San Antonio. But there was no Christmas game. No facing the Raptors in the Garden. No playing the Raptors in Toronto. And of course, no wins for the Knicks.
Anthony hopes to reverse those fortunes and play during the unenviable Texas Triangle adventure that continues through Houston and Dallas after San Antonio. Anthony said “of course” he will fly with the team to Texas.
“There’s still some things lingering, but each day it’s getting better,” Anthony said, explaining two more off days could be the elixir he needs.
Coach Mike Woodson also hopes who hopes to have point guards Raymond Felton (strained groin) and Pablo Prigioni (fractured toe) back at some point on the Texas trip – though both are doubtful for Thursday.
“I’m optimistic, but until they tell me they’re ready to suit up and play I just got to get these other guys ready,” Woodson said.
Anthony ran the last two days and admitted he still is not right.
“Still some swelling in there, still some tenderness. Eventually I’ll have to play with a little bit of tenderness, a little bit of pain,” Anthony said.
But there was just too much for him to have played in any of the three recent defeats for the 9-21 Knicks, who sit five games behind the first-place Raptors after the back-to-back losses.
“It was tough. These were two games I was looking forward to and circled on my calendar, knowing the significance of those two games, knowing we had the chance to close the gap a little,” Anthony said. “It was definitely disappointing, sitting back watching it. I definitely hate sitting out watching the games. I’m trying to do what I have to do to get back and do what’s best for everybody.”
The Knicks this season have been a nightmare collection of injuries, failed expectations, defensive shortcomings and the roller-coaster speculation about Woodson’s job security. One almost unfathomable aspect of their struggles has been a lack of effort and energy.
“We’re a little bit inconsistent as a whole,” Anthony said. “The effort is definitely not there some days, or it’s there and then sometimes it’s not. We play with effort in spurts. We’ve got to get some consistency from that standpoint.
“We shouldn’t be talking about lack of effort and inconsistency from that standpoint. But we are and we’ve got to find a solution to that.
That solution? “Just to go out there and do it,” Anthony said. “You can’t teach having energy.”
Anthony is uncertain where the answer lies with this bunch, but noted a return to health wouldn’t hurt. No matter, the Knicks need their total package with the upcoming schedule. But Anthony said don’t blame the mess on Woodson.
“Coach Woodson is a strong person, a strong-willed person. His message is definitely getting through to people, especially through to me and guys who’ve been here and understand the situation,” Anthony said. “We understand it. It’s so easy to just fold in this moment right now. So his message is very clear throughout this locker room.”