Contrary to rumors that the New York Knicks are planning to shut Carmelo Anthony down for the season, the team’s franchise player has no plans of sitting out what remains of this terrible, embarrassing campaign.

Anthony, averaging 23.9 points on 45.3% from the field this season has played in 30 games this season, but missed the last three due to soreness in his knee. Head coach Derek Fisher spoke about coming to a conclusion at some point that it might be in the best interest of the franchise to shut Anthony down, but the 7-time NBA All-Star has no plans of sitting out if there’s no need to. There’s also the contradictory statement suggesting playing won’t actually aggravate his knee situation.

The Knicks, unless you have forgotten, aren’t just going nowhere this season, they’re in full tank mode following the trade that sent J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are a league worst 5-32, losing 22 of their last 23 games including 12 in a row at the moment. The deal saved the team a lot of money moving onto the offseason, but it’s just another sign that for Knicks fans, there’s not a whole lot to look forward to this season.

I’m all right. I’m not shutting it down for the season yet. I’m just trying to take some time to get it right. I know there’s a lot of fans out there that’s kind of upset or kind of down on the team, kind of down on the players right now, kind of down on the situation. But I will say that it gets greater later, just be patient with the team, with the organization, with the journey, with the plan, with what we’re trying to create, what we’re trying to accomplish. Greatness don’t happen overnight, and that’s something that we’re trying to build here.

Even the Philadelphia 76ers, another team with just five wins, look healthy and in a good spot compared to the Knicks. The 76ers were planning on being this bad, bu there’s a lot of fun and energy, not to mention wild scoring on both ends of the floor during their games. The Knicks? They look old, hurting and simply like a group of guys unhappy being together. Soon enough, a lot of them won’t be part of this anymore.

Anthony continues to be the foundation of everything they’re building for the next few years. Phil Jackson is working out of the assumption that it’s better to tear it all down or most of it than settle for mediocrity. But look at teams like the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks, fixing things while on the move, without breaking a team apart. Some think that it’s all about the championship, and if you’re not that good, you better tank to put yourself in a position to be great. But it turns out that’s not the only way to succeed and put yourself in a prime position to contend in the NBA.

Image: Source / Comment from Bleacher Report