Carmelo Anthony Out For Rest of NBA Season? New York Knicks Might Shut Down Superstar According To Coach Derek Fisher

The New York Knicks are enduring the season from hell, and it could be about to get a lot, lot worse. Star forward Carmelo Anthony — who signed a five year $124 million contract with New York in the offseason — could be contemplating sitting the rest of the 2015 NBA season with an injury to his left knee. Rookie Knicks coach Derek Fisher told reporters that the franchise are looking at their options regarding the forward, with sitting him for the rest of the season being one possibility.

Considering that the Knicks - and new president Phil Jackson - are off to their worst start in franchise history at 5-30, actually own their first round draft pick this year, and are battling injuries to Amar'e Stoudemire, Tim Hardaway Jr and Iman Shumpert, it seems like the logical thing to do. But then, the Knicks aren't particularly known for things like 'logic' or 'savvy'.

Fisher acknowledges the possibility that Carmelo may shut it down for the rest of the year at some point soon. More: https://t.co/GWmCkFjc6U

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 3, 2015

Fisher admitted that the Knicks are considering resting Carmelo for the rest of the season - even though team doctors have said playing won't damage his knee further, neither will it help it heal - saying to ESPN's Mike Begley: "From the conversations I've been a part of, I think everybody is smart enough to realize, calendar wise, timing wise, that there may come a point that that's the decision that needs to be made," Fisher said Friday. "But [we realize] that we can't force Carmelo to that point just yet."

Fisher added that a lot of thought will go into any decision made regarding Carmelo and his knee, saying:

"We can't unilaterally just say, 'Hey, you know, you can't play for the rest of the season because of A, B and C. I think our medical staff, our training staff, continue to have conversations with him about where he is. He's conversing with us about how he's feeling, what the symptoms are. And so as each day kind of unfolds, decisions are being made. It's not something that we're just kind of stepping back and saying, 'Carmelo, you kind of tell us when you don't feel like playing anymore.'"

The Knicks are considering shutting down Carmelo Anthony: https://t.co/TfUEnl87ef pic.twitter.com/xWXbZJ7Ee9

— SB Nation NBA (@SBNationNBA) January 3, 2015

As SB Nation's Tim Cato says, there's little else to play for this season for the Knicks, and if the franchise "are being honest with themselves, they know they're playing for draft picks and ping pong balls at this point." He adds that "Building around Anthony, who is in the first year of his five-year, $124 million contract, is one of the few things the team has going for it."

Either way — with surgery being a last resort for Carmelo — it seems like putting him at further risk for the year wouldn't make too much sense. Then again, this is the same franchise that let Mike D'antoni run $100 million of Amar'e Stoudemire into the ground in four short months. Here's hoping Phil Jackson and co. let sense prevail and let Carmelo get healthy.

LRT, if there's any way Carmelo can sit out now and come back by end of season to show FAs he's healthy, that should be the plan

— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) January 3, 2015