Knicks Carmelo Anthony Opts for Knee Surgery, Out for the Rest of the Season

Carmelo Anthony will be out for the rest of the season.

The New York Knicks forward will undergo left knee surgery, two sources with knowledge of Anthony's situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

Orthopedist Answorth Allen will perform a patella tendon debridement and repair, which removes any dead, damaged or infected tissue that causes pain, the team announced. Once the tissue is removed, the healthy tissue will improve and the discomfort should go away. The estimated recovery period is around four to six months.

"We want him to make a full recovery and get ready for this next coming season," President Phil Jackson said.

Prior to the surgery announcement, Anthony also addressed his knee injury.

"It's pretty crucial what I'm dealing with,'' Anthony said according to the New York Post. "I just want to get it over with, get to the bottom of it. I haven't made that decision yet. I don't want this lingering where I'll be out the whole offseason and then it affects me coming back for next season training camp. Ultimately it's about me being smart.''

Anthony added that if the Knicks were contending for the playoffs, he would have considered delaying the surgery. Since the Knicks are currently out of postseason contention, Anthony has opted for surgery.

Anthony, 30, has been playing with a bad knee since the second game of the regular season. He sat out the first two weeks of January and missed 13 games due to soreness. Despite his chronic knee issue, Anthony averages 24.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 35.7 minutes. He recently started in the All-Star game and played 30 minutes.

The Knicks, under first-time coach Derek Fisher and first-year President Jackson, are currently 10-43, the worst record in the league.