Video: Carmelo Anthony Gets Ovation from Knicks Crowd, Talks Return to MSG

Carmelo Anthony was in attendance for Sunday night's game between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and received a hearty ovation from the New York fans when he was introduced on the big screen. 

Anthony also spoke about being back in the Garden to MSG's Rebecca Haarlow: 

"The energy is always good in this building," Anthony said of the ovation. "I've had some great years in this building and I look forward to coming back and playing in this building some more. The energy is always good and the fans have always been good to me too. This is home. New York is home. My family is here, so you can't beat this energy."

Anthony, 34, played in just 10 games for the Houston Rockets this season before he and the Rockets decided in November that he would no longer play for the team. The Rockets didn't put him on waivers, however, keeping him on the roster until last week, when he was traded to the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls are expected to either waive Anthony or trade him before the Feb. 7 trade deadline, however, and Anthony will not suit up for Chicago. He's now been on five teams in the past three seasons (Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, briefly the Atlanta Hawks before a buyout, Rockets and Bulls).

Anthony played in New York for seven seasons, averaging 24.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG while leading the Knicks to the postseason three times. He is a 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection (twice on the second team, four times on the third team).

While the end of Anthony's time in New York was marked by controversy—namely due to former team president Phil Jackson publicly campaigning for Anthony to waive his no-trade clause so he could be dealt—it appears there isn't bad blood between he and the organization:

But his fit in the modern NBA remains a question mark. He's never been a good defensive player and, while the league continues to emphasize three-point shooting and finishing at the rim, Anthony has largely operated as a mid-range, isolation scorer during his career. 

Despite that fact, Miami's Dwyane Wade—who Anthony was at least partly in attendance to watch on Sunday night—believes his friend still has a place in the NBA (h/t Marc Berman of the New York Post):

"It's about the right fit. The toughest part is—for GMs, presidents, owners and players—is how to handle an aging superstar in this game. It has to all work perfectly. Everyone has to make the right sacrifices, has to be the right group and coach. It has to work perfectly when it's an aging star in this game. Unfortunately in Houston, it wasn't the right fit. But Carmelo can play basketball."

Wherever Anthony ends up, he has one main goal in mind.

"As this point, I just want to be happy," he said, per Berman. "I think I've put myself in a good, peaceful mind state right now and be able to focus in on what I need to focus in on. Whatever's gonna make me happy, then we're gonna make it happen."