Phil Jackson said Saturday that surgery is a possibility for Carmelo Anthony, who has missed eight straight games with soreness in his left knee.

"I think for Melo the last resort is surgery, as it should be for anybody," Jackson said. "Surgery is basically to repair and to correct. He's got a situation that could exacerbate, could get difficult, could be better with the surgery, but he wants to really try it again and see where he's going to be at. The next period of time we'll assess that and we'll sit down and talk to him about it. I know the All-Star Game [at Madison Square Garden] is important for him down the road in February. I know this trip to London [for the Knicks game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 15] will be important for him to play. He sees possibilities of helping the team get back and be better."