Carmelo Anthony sat out the second half of the New York Knicks' 101-79 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night after his lingering left knee soreness cropped up.
After the game, Derek Fisher was asked about the prospects of sitting Melo for an extended period of time to rest his knee, especially with the Knicks having spiraled out of the playoff picture.
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"Carmelo is Carmelo. We don't necessarily make decisions for him," Fisher said, via Ian Begley of ESPN New York. "He's part of the conversation. So we have opinions that we've expressed to him. We talk about different things, but really it is a decision that he has to also want to make for himself and his career. He's also conferenced about the team and his teammates, and so we'll continue to find a right balance of it all."
Anthony is currently in the first year of a five-year, $124 million contract, and he has been told by the team's medical staff that he's not at risk of long-term damage to his knee if he keeps playing this year. However, several members of Melo's inner circle are reportedly advising him to sit out for a few weeks at least, if not to shut it down for the remainder of the season.
With conflicting viewpoints converging, Derek Fisher and Knicks management appear to be giving Anthony autonomy when it comes to determining his playing status going forward.
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