Carmelo Anthony Injury: Can the Knicks Survive Without Him?

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony had a rough Thursday night in a Knicks loss against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Anthony injured his wrist early and then had to leave the game after spraining his right ankle.

While his status for Saturday's game against Oklahoma City isn't immediately known, you have to wonder if the Knicks could survive without their star.

That answer is yes, on a short-term basis.

For one, the Knicks are now only 19-19 in the 38 regular season games they have played since the Anthony trade. That number doesn't include the 0-4 postseason mark.

While Anthony is certainly great, he hasn't exactly had an impact in wins and losses yet.

While his injury isn't serious, if the Knicks were to have to go without Anthony for any extended period of time, they have enough talent to survive.

Amar'e Stoudemire would become the primary option of the offense and the ball would certainly move more.

When the Knicks are moving the ball on the offensive end, they are dangerous. There are just too many options for opposing defenses to have to worry about. Someone is capable of making a play on each and every possession.

That is what they have to incorporate more of when Anthony is on the floor.

Too often the Knicks offense becomes stagnant, featuring nothing but isolation plays and while Anthony excels in that type of situation it also makes things easier for opposing defenses.

Getting point guard Baron Davis into the offense soon will hopefully create more of a flow in the Knicks offense. You just don't want to have to stop and play one-on-one basketball when you don't have to.

So while you never want to lose a superstar like Anthony for any period of time, even a couple of games, the Knicks have enough talent to survive for a short period without him.