Report: Carmelo played with torn knee tendon during season

It was only a matter of time before Carmelo Anthony had to shut it down and undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. But according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Anthony played most of the season with a partial tendon tear in the same knee.

The 30-year-old underwent a procedure on Thursday called arthroscopic debridement surgery, after which New York Knicks president Phil Jackson said he would be out of action for four to six months.

Part of the surgery was to clean out calcium deposits that formed in the partial tear of the  patellar tendon, something that had previously not been reported. Athletes can play through partial tears, but not full patellar ruptures.

As the Knicks sank into oblivion, it was clear that Anthony would opt to undergo the procedure on his bothersome knee after missing 15 games. Last year however, Anthony played in 77 of the Knicks' 82 games, hitting career highs in minutes (38.7), rebounds (8.1) and 3-point percentage (40.2).