Carmelo Anthony said Thursday that he briefly second-guessed returning to the New York Knicks in free agency last July, when he signed a five-year, $124 million deal, shunning offers from the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers in the process.
Anthony, during team exit interviews, is expected to be full strength for training camp in September. He missed the second half of the season following persistent knee issues he said began in the first or second game.
“There was one point in the season where it was cloudy, and I was second-guessing,” Anthony said.
Anthony said he was reluctant to have a complete examination on his knee fearing he would miss the entire season, but gutting through it was ineffective.
“It’s been a long process – I’ve been in the house about 2-3 weeks,” Anthony said. “I feel much better now. I’m off the brace, I’m off the crutches.”
Anthony said his rehab is sectioned off by week, and his next uptick is a few weeks away. By then, the Knicks will have the results of the 2015 NBA Draft lottery in hand. Whereas bringing back Anthony and finding a head coach were the focus of a meandering offseason a year ago, the Knicks enter the 2015 offseason with $25 million in cap space and a likely top five draft pick.
“The time is now,” Anthony said. “We gotta go for it. But we’ve got to be smart about the decisions we make. … There’s a lot of different scenarios that can take place (in the draft), depending if you are 1, 2, 3 or 4.”
Anthony said he will meet with vice president Phil Jackson to discuss what’s ahead. He doesn’t envision any health setbacks and is getting close to feeling like himself.
“I feel great about my recovery and my return,” Anthony said.