Carmelo Anthony Injury: Just How Banged Up Is Melo?

Already dealing with a bad back, Carmelo Anthony added to his injury woes. First he sprained his right wrist, then he sprained his right ankle. At that point he was more "all left" than all right which is why he left the game and didn't return.

Without Anthony in the game, the New York Knicks struggled and were essentially blown out by the Memphis Grizzlies. 

So this, of course, leaves Knicks fans wanting to know, when does their MVP candidate come back? The answer isn't likely to be next game if that's what you want to hear. According to Anthony, 

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"We will see [today],’’ Anthony said. “Right now I’m real sore. I’m more concerned with getting my ankle right. I can deal with my wrist. I can wrap the wrist and play through that. A sore ankle is a bit more deal with."

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That's a cloud that could have a silver lining though. While Anthony's play has been outstanding, the rest of the Knicks roster, including Amar'e Stoudemire, have been struggling out of the gate. 

Stoudemire has only been scoring 19.2 points per game, down six form last year's average. With Anthony out, it could give him a chance to step up his scoring and find his groove.

In fact, the entire offense, with the exception of Anthony, has sputtered this year. While their defense is much improved, with the seventh rated defensive rating, their offense is only 21st. 

If they can find a way to get their offense going with Anthony out, once he returns, the Knicks could be hitting on all cylinders. If they can get their offense and defense playing together, the Knicks could start looking like the team fans had hoped to see when Tyson Chandler was signed this summer.