NBA

Back in Denver, Knicks’ Anthony mulls having knee drained

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DENVER — The boos tonight will be heard from the Mile High City all the way to Boulder. Carmelo Anthony is back in town, but it couldn’t have come at a more depressing time for him.

The most important D-word Anthony uttered last night after practice wasn’t Denver but drainage.

Anthony said he expects to play tonight at the Pepsi Center in his first game in Denver since the February 2011 trade, but admitted his sore right knee is not getting better.

If this continues, he may have the fluid in his knee drained in a procedure that would keep him out anywhere from a few days to a week, according to medical experts. However, the experts said, fluid in the back of the knee is usually a result of arthritis or cartilage wear and tear, both chronic conditions.

In a spate of lousy timing, Anthony has more to worry about than the expected boos. He is fretting about how his knee reacts more than how the Denver crowd reacts.

Mike Woodson said Anthony was “probably probable’’ and Melo said he would play and then possibly reevaluate after the game. So tonight’s showdown against the Nuggets could conceivably be his last of the five-game West Coast trip that got off to a disastrous start in Oakland on Monday when the Knicks lost to the Warriors by 29 points and scored just 63 — their lowest output in seven seasons.

“We’re talking about it [the procedure],’’ Anthony said after practicing on the Nuggets’ practice court at Pepsi Center. “The doctors will sit down and talk about it and see my options. I think that’s the last option — to get the knee drained. I have to weigh all the options — how much time I’d have to take off.’’

Anthony hijacked the Nuggets’ 2010-11 season, demanding a trade, and he ultimately landed with the Knicks in a blockbuster Denver can so far claim victory. It will be hostile tonight.

“They got to cheer for their team,’’ Anthony said. “I’m on the opposing team. As far as getting booed, it’s not on my mind right now. For us, after the game we lost [in Oakland] that’s more important. We want to go in here and get a win.’’

Asked what he would say to a Denver fan booing him, Anthony said, “I’d probably just smile at him. There’s nothing I can really say at this point. I don’t think the fans really know why they’re booing. In the media, it was portrayed I wanted to leave and I hated Denver. It was lot of things behind the scenes behind closed doors the average person would never know about.’’

Anthony said the Nuggets wanted to rebuild.

“They were trying to go in a different direction,’’ Anthony said. “I was making a decision of if I wanted to start all over again or make a decision to go elsewhere.’’

Denver fans should actually be happy. Danilo Gallinari’s Nuggets have a 99-57 record since the trade — 11 games better than the Knicks (88-67). They also are on a nine-game winning streak.

Meanwhile, Anthony is trying to mend.

“It’s just frustrating and aggravating,’’ Anthony said. “I have this lingering around — it’s not getting no better, not getting no worse. It’s at a standstill right now.’’

Anthony was a 34-minute train wreck in his return from a three-game absence Monday, making 4 of 15 shots, moving rigidly and defending atrociously.

“I just want to play at this point and try to win the game,’’ Anthony said. “There’s definitely going to be some emotions up in the air, but I can’t worry about that. I don’t want to go into the game with my knee on my mind. I just got to play through it and see what happens.’’

Anthony is proud of his Denver legacy, no matter the fan perception. The wound was fresher last season, but the Knicks-at-Denver showdown was wiped out by the lockout. The clubs have faced each other twice at the Garden since the trade, with the teams splitting.

It’s been suggested that Anthony should eventually have his No. 15 jersey retired in Denver.

“It depends who you ask,’’ Anthony said of his legacy. “For me I went to that team, we kind of turned it around all the way. Seven years straight getting to the postseason. We got to the [conference] finals one year. Overall I think we turned it around. It was fun. It was fun for the guys here. we still talk about it here in the locker room. It’s a lot of memories.’’

Indeed, the Knicks have six players with Denver ties, most notably J.R. Smith, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin. It’s no coincidence Knicks personnel director, Mark Warkentien, is the Nuggets former GM.

“I think it will be 50-50,’’ Smith said of Melo’s reaction. “Some people are not going to like him. Some people are still going to love him. It’s a matter of how he reacts to it.’’

Anthony was asked to sum up his Knicks stint and said it’s been a whirlwind.

“I feel I’m finally getting my feet wet. I always said it’s going to take a 2 1/2, 3-year process even when the trade happened.’’

And it’s a heck of a time to be in his condition.

“One of them things I’m trying to figure out what I can do, what I can’t do,’’ Anthony said. “One of them games trying to get the rust off.’’

marc.berman@nypost.com

New York Knuggets

The Knicks bring a half-dozen players with ties to the Nuggets to Denver tonight. Here’s a look:

Carmelo Anthony: Drafted third in 2003, Anthony turned into a perennial all-star and got Denver into the playoffs seven straight seasons. But he only got out of the first round once — in 2009 — and hurt his Denver legacy by forcing a trade in his eighth season.

Kenyon Martin: Played for Denver from 2004 to 2011 after leaving the Nets, who shipped him in a sign-and-trade as Martin inked a 7-year, $90M deal. He averaged double figures five of those Denver seasons. He left last season for the Clippers when the Nuggets didn’t re-sign him.

Marcus Camby: Played there from 2002 to 2008 after the Knicks traded him in the ill-fated Antonio McDyess deal. Had his best years, with four double-double seasons for points and rebounds.

J.R. Smith: Rarely got along with coach George Karl after the Nuggets traded for him in 2006, but he is the Nuggets’ all-time career-leader in 3-pointers made with 768 in five seasons. He left the Nuggets as a free agent during the lockout to sign in China.

Raymond Felton: Was miserable in Denver after getting shipped in the Anthony trade and got demoted to the bench so Ty Lawson could start. He asked for a trade in the summer of 2011 and got one to Portland. So nondescript was his Nuggets career, Felton had to tell one of his Knicks teammates that, yes, he played there once, too.

James White: Had a solid training camp in 2009, befriended Melo, and was the last cut of preseason. White then signed in Spain.