Before they face the nightmares that are the Clippers and Warriors on their upcoming six-game road trip, the Knicks first stop in Denver, the old stomping grounds of Carmelo Anthony, who left that city five years ago. For reasons ranging from the lockout to injury, Anthony has played in Denver just twice since being traded from the Nuggets. Did he play there last season?
“Yeah. No. Yeah, I think so,” said Anthony, sort of failing to illuminate the matter. “I told you, I don’t remember nothing about last year.”
Well, if ever a year to forget in Knicks annals exists, 2014-15 certainly is the pick.
Anthony isn’t the only ex-Nugget going back to Denver Tuesday when the Knicks start their trip. Arron Afflalo spent 3 ¹/₂ seasons there, in two separate tours. The Knicks, who had rookie Kristaps Porzingis still listed as “day-to-day” Sunday, hope to carry over some positives from a Saturday victory over Detroit and an encouraging — but losing — effort Friday in Boston. Porzingis sat Saturday with a bruised lower left leg. X-rays were negative.
If it matters, Anthony did not play in Denver last season because the Knicks visited after the All-Star’s season ended in knee surgery. He was traded after the Knicks made their only visit in the 2010-11 season and then missed Denver in 2011-12 because of the lockout scheduling.
Anthony lost both times as a Knick in Denver. He scored nine points and shot 3-of-12 when the Knicks lost by 23 points March 13, 2013, and scored 27 with 8-of-22 shooting in a two-point loss Nov. 29, 2013. Since first being traded away in August 2012, Afflalo has returned to Denver just once.
“After a while, the more time you’re away from that, distanced from that, the feelings start to kind of fade away but in the back of your mind, you know that’s where it all started,” said Anthony, who was one of three 20-point scorers (a Knicks season first) in the 102-89 win over Detroit. “That’s where it started for me, that’s the city that drafted me, that’s the city I kind of grew up in for 7 ½ years of my career so [there] will always be a small part in my heart for a city like that.”
Anthony made the playoffs every season with Denver, continued that trend for three appearances with the Knicks, but now is on the verge of missing the postseason for a third consecutive year. In 2009-10, Anthony and Afflalo led the Nuggets to a 53-29 record. They played together for another half season before Anthony was traded.
“For me, it’s just a part of my journey,” Afflalo said about returning to Denver where he scored 12 points in a losing effort for Orlando Jan. 9, 2013. “[Anthony] had a lot of history there. I don’t know how his breakup was, that marriage, how that went. But it will be fun to have two players that had a pretty long tenure there. I was there for four seasons pretty much. I think he was there for eight. It will be nice going there.
Then, referencing Denver’s 101-96 win at the Garden Feb. 7, Afflalo said, “We owe them one.”
Obviously, the Knicks need more in Denver than just allowing Anthony and Afflalo to savor warm and fuzzy reminiscences. Getting Porzingis back rates high. The rookie was scratched before the start of Saturday’s game after interim coach Kurt Rambis had explained Porzingis’ shrinking fourth-quarter minutes were due to matchups, a lack of experience, particularly playing center in small lineups, and defensive shortcomings against smaller guys. Rambis stressed his priority is winning games and he’ll go with experienced “guys I trust.”
But even without their No. 2 scorer, Porzingis, the Knicks beat a team with a winning record for the first time in nearly a month. Now they hope to continue on the trip that has a back-to-back in Phoenix Wednesday, stops in L.A. for the Clippers (Friday) and Lakers (Sunday), then visits the Warriors (March 16) and Washington (March 19) before a return home for the Kings (March 20).