Nearly seven months after undergoing a successful left knee surgery, Carmelo Anthony is back on the floor, smiling, competing, and preparing for a bounce back season for the Knicks. At the United States Military Academy at West Point on Monday morning, the team convened for the first training camp session where Anthony participated in his first NBA practice since last February.
“It felt good,” Anthony answered. “I mean, it’s been a long time just sitting back and watching, putting a lot of work in to my body and rehabbing, training, and treatment since February, so to be back on the court now when I can just focus on basketball is a pretty good feeling.”
The surgery repaired a patella injury in Anthony’s left knee, which caused major discomfort for New York’s leading scorer during the first half of the 2014-15 season. For the past three weeks, Anthony and the new-look Knicks have worked out together on the floor and several members of the squad joined him in Puerto Rico for some team bonding.
The 13-year veteran is expected to endure the rigorous two-a-day practices at West Point this week.
“I’m just going man. I went through all the drills; I mean we had some contact drills today, got through it. At this point, it’s not about thinking, it’s just going and see what happens,” Anthony explained.
The 31-year old described an extremely difficult rehab process for his knee and the practice at West Point was easier in terms of a full workout while not focusing on one specific body part. Anthony’s offseason work has paid off, considering the Knicks forward is on track for a full camp prior to preseason game action.
“I didn’t want to have any setbacks as far as gaining any weight. I tried to push myself to come in the best shape as I could. I feel great,” Anthony reiterated.
The team will hold a practice session tonight at West Point and the remainder of the week before heading back to the city on Saturday afternoon. Stay tuned to Knicks.com for comprehensive coverage throughout the week.