DENVER — When Carmelo Anthony made his first return to Denver as a Knick, on March 13, his knee was swollen and full of fluid. He didn't last the game and flew home to have the knee drained.
Anthony makes his second return to Pepsi Center Friday night and the way he speaks now, you wonder whether he is full of regret about leaving the Nuggets in the first place.
This time, his knee is good but his ego is bruised, his spirit battered, his team in shambles. From a basketball standpoint, there isn't much for Anthony to be thankful for.
Forget Mile High. This is Mile Low for Anthony, who has never seemed this miserable as a Knick. He admits he's having no fun this season — an alarming admission with his expected free-agency set to occur in July. Money, to Anthony, is not everything.
The Knicks are collapsing amid a seven-game losing streak following Wednesday's 93-80 stinker at Staples Center against the Clippers. They are armed with a 3-11 record as they face the Nuggets, from whom Anthony orchestrated his departure in February 2011 — a trade many Knicks fans still question, believing their team gave up too many pawns. Last season at this juncture, the Knicks were flying high at 10-4 on the way to a 14-4 start.
"We had a special bond that team last year,'' Anthony said in the dead-quiet of the visitor's locker room late Wednesday night. "The trust factor was definitely there and the most important thing is we were having fun last year. This year it seems we're not having fun. Every situation is a pressurized situation for everybody. We got to get back to playing basketball and having fun. When the game is not fun anymore, you get results like this.''
Anthony, who never missed the playoffs with Denver, can't remember feeling this morose during a season.
"I got to keep my head up,'' he said. "No need to keep my head down. They see that, they see me walking around, moping around, upset, it's going to linger on.''
Matters are so depressing around the Knicks, Anthony had to have his memory jogged Wednesday night, and told the club was to depart for the Rocky Mountains the next afternoon.
He probably will be booed by Denver's spurned fans — unless they feel too much pity for his plight, which isn't solely his fault.
"I actually forgot I was going back to Denver,'' Anthony said. "When you're going though this, you kind of forget a lot of things. Last year wasn't a pleasant return. I got hurt, had to leave the game. Hopefully this year is a little bit different.''
Anthony was amid his roughest patch in March, but the Knicks were still winning. After sitting out a handful of games to rest a puffy knee, Anthony returned in Denver and looked as if he was playing on one leg. During the 117-94 Nuggets rout, in which he scored just nine points, Anthony literally walked off the court in the third quarter and headed for the locker room. After the game, he announced his intention to fly back to New York to have his knee drained.
"My knee was definitely messed up before that [game],'' Anthony said. "I wanted to give it a try. It was my first time going back. I just couldn't do it, had to leave, get it drained. This year, I feel pretty healthy.''
Anthony hasn't played badly during the seven-game slide, but neither is he making winning plays. It has been a mixed bag. He's averaging 26.5 points and shooting 42.6 percent — trying his career-low set in his rookie year of 2003-4 in Denver. He is rebounding with ferocity, averaging double digits for the first time (10.1), and playing harder than any Knick on the court.
Unfortunately, while Anthony has the knack for being the NBA's best player in getting his club to rally from 15 points down to five, he doesn't often carry it all the way home.
During his Knicks career, Anthony has a shockingly low number of defining moments in the game's final 30 seconds. He is now thrust into the role as sole leader with Tyson Chandler hurt and appears struggling with the task.
"We got to do it for one another,'' Anthony said. "Right now, the game is not fun for anybody. We're just not making it happen. We all got to be there for one another. The easiest thing for us is to go our separate ways and separate this team. It's the hardest thing to do right now is to remain positive."
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