Carmelo Anthony believes he took a "huge risk" in choosing rehab over surgery to repair a tear in his left shoulder.

Anthony admitted Saturday night that he played with a torn rotator cuff and partially torn labrum in his left shoulder late last season.

Anthony would have missed the beginning of the regular season if he underwent surgery.

"I'm ecstatic going from a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum to not needing surgery," Anthony told reporters on Saturday. "Let me take that back: taking a risk in not taking surgery and letting it heal on its own. I took a huge risk in doing that. It meant I had to put more time in the offseason to do what I had to do to get it right."