Carmelo Anthony: Family Issue Adds Mystery to Knicks Star's On-Court Struggles
When the New York Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony last February, he, along with Amar'e Stoudemire, were supposed to reignite a franchise that had fallen on hard times over the last decade. This year, things have not worked out well for the team, and Anthony has been struggling for most of the season.
At first, Anthony's problems shooting the ball were attributed to wrist and ankle injuries, but there could be more to the story than just that.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Anthony was not at Thursday's practice due to a family issue, and the team isn't sure whether or not he will play against Milwaukee on Friday night.
Without any knowledge of what the issue is, it is hard to say just how much of an impact this has had on his mindset this season. That said, it is telling that he has to miss practice and potentially a game because of it.
Something has been off with him this season. He is averaging 25 points per game, but his shooting percentage has fallen down to 41. He has hit just 14-of-49 shots taken in his last two games.
Physically, we knew that he was not right. Adding some personal problems to the mix only increases the speculation about what could be going on with him.
We have seen athletes battle personal problems in the past, and the toll it takes on their psyche can't be understated.
Again, we don't know what the personal issue is, who it is or how it is affecting him and his family. We will likely learn more when Anthony does return to the team, but for now, all we can do is hope that everything is okay with his family.
