To surprise of nobody, Carmelo Anthony says he likely shuts it down after All-Star Game

It was obvious this was the plan for a month now.

But the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony went on ESPN Radio with Marc Stein and confirmed what everybody already knew — he’s going to shut it down after the All-Star Game.

“It’s very likely. It’s very likely. Now I’ve got to start thinking about the future,” Anthony told Marc Stein, Marc Kestecher and P.J. Carlesimo in an interview on ESPN Radio. “This season is this season. So I really want to just sit down with my team and sit down with the proper people to just kind of plan this thing out and see exactly what I have to do to get done and just to fix it.”

Anthony reportedly needs knee surgery, but has understandably been hesitant to go under the knife. Combine that with his desire to play host as the All-Star Game comes to Madison Square Garden this weekend — with the fans voting him in as a starter — and it was clear he was going to act like Monty Python’s Black Knight until the All-Star Game had passed.

“Even if I come out and just play a couple minutes and just wave,” Anthony said. “I don’t think the fans deserve [seeing me miss the game]. They voted me in for a reason, so at least I can show them that I appreciate that by just participating in the game.”

After this weekend he likely doesn’t play another game, and the Knicks will be worse.

Which frankly is fine — this is the one year the Knicks own their first round pick, no strings. So be bad, get a high draft pick. That’s why Phil Jackson made the right move so far not trying to make a quick-fix trade, as the team has seemingly done for the better part of a decade. Be bad and build.

Then bring a healthy Anthony back next season, and maybe that will be enough to make the playoffs in the East.