Carmelo Anthony is unquestionably one of the best pure scorers to ever set foot on an NBA court, but his career has been frustrating, to say the least.

After coming into the league with the Denver Nuggets, Anthony became a star in his 7.5 years with the team. But, as the trade deadline approached in the 2010-11 season, Melo decided he wanted out and forced a trade to New York to play for the Knicks.

Now, as he toils away for a team that can't stay out of its own way, NBA fans are likely seeing the twilight of Melo's career.

Anthony's ratings in the NBA 2K video game series point to the trade from Denver to New York as one of the biggest turning points in his career - and not in a good way.

Taking a look at Melo's pre-Knicks ratings, it's hard to argue with that - take a look at his overall stats from 2K8 to 2K11:

• 2K8: 94
• 2K9: 95
• 2K10: 88
• 2K11: 93

Clearly, while he was with the Nuggets, Melo was one of the game's elite all-around offensive players (though his defensive stats definitely left a lot to be desired). But, once he forced his way to the Knicks, the steady decline began.

The trade that changed everything

By the final update to the NBA 2K12 game, Melo saw his overall rating plummet to an 81. From there, things didn't get much better for the former elite player, as his overall ratings never again rose above an 88:

• 2K13: 85
• 2K14: 88
• 2K15: 88
• 2K16: 88
• 2K17: 86

Though he's still an incredible mid-range shooter in the game, his other stats have diminished since his 2K9 peak. There are a number of reasons for that decline, and players often see their stats decrease as they age, but the biggest one is his new franchise.

The curse of the Knicks

When Melo came to New York, he was playing alongside an in-his-prime Amar'e Stoudemire, but Stoudemire quickly saw his own stats decline and was soon an ineffective sidekick.

After that, the Knicks didn't give Anthony much help, as the best thing he had to a co-star was a brief episode of Linsanity, courtesy of Jeremy Lin in 2011-12.

Now, he has Kristaps Porzingis, one of the NBA's brightest young stars, but at age 32 and with 14 years of NBA wear and tear on his body, it may be too little, too late for the aging superstar.

Rumors abounded that Melo could be on the move at this year's trade deadline, but nothing serious ever materialized. Though Anthony loves living in New York City, the best thing for his career (both real and virtual) may be a move to a team where he can be part of a big three (maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers or Los Angeles Clippers).

Without such a move, Melo is sure to be reduced to a role player and one-trick pony in all future NBA 2K editions.