Carmelo Anthony Reportedly Won't Sit on Knicks' Bench Due to Injury Concerns

Carmelo Anthony has been around his New York Knicks teammates more often recently, but the superstar forward has reportedly refused to sit on the bench during games for a very interesting reason.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Anthony, who is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, has opted against sitting with his teammates out of fear that a player could crash into him and exacerbate his injury.

That was reasoning explained by an anonymous Knicks official, but head coach Derek Fisher is unsure of a definitive motive, per Berman.

"You can ask him that if you ever get a chance to talk to him or the medical staff," Fisher said. "There's been no discussion whether Carmelo would be sitting on the bench when he's recovering from a major knee surgery."

Melo was compromised by a knee ailment for much of the season and hasn't played since the All-Star Game. As pointed out by Fred Katz of Fox Sports, though, he was willing to take part in that exhibition contest despite concerns about his knee:

That aside, Anthony's fears aren't totally irrational. It isn't uncommon for a player to chase a loose ball out of bounds, and there isn't much sense in a player of Carmelo's caliber putting himself in harm's way.

Perhaps there would be more pressure for Anthony to be on the bench if the Knicks were competing for a playoff spot, but the only thing they're competing for is the right to draft Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke's Jahlil Okafor as the worst team in the league.

Carmelo already decided against putting his body on the line for the NBA's 30th-placed team by shutting it down for the rest of the season and now is effectively doing the same thing by declining to sit on the bench.

Some might theorize that there are more malicious reasons behind Anthony's choice, but it shouldn't really matter in the midst of a lost season.

The Knicks absolutely need Carmelo to be healthy next season in order to improve and make a run at the playoffs, so they aren't likely to crack down on their superstar if he truly believes that staying away from the bench is the best thing for his knee.

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