Discussion

• January 25, 2008

  9:49 AM

  Tom writes:

  Good toon Drew. I think Iverson is much more deserving of the All-Star nod than Anthony is. Carmelo is who he is because of Iverson.
  I thought this might be the year that Anthony finally would decide to grow up and mature into the player he needs to be, but it hasn't happened. He still refuses to defend. Is he rebounding more? Yes. But that stat is very deceiving. Most times, the ball just bounces right to player X, and they get credit for a board. It's rare to see Anthony fighting for anything. A great deal of his points come off breakaways and perimeter shots.
  Iverson is the engine that makes this team roll. Anthony is really a bystander who is more concerned with getting his 30 points a night and shooting the ball. He still won't pass to the open guy. It makes one wonder why he won't listen to George Karl. George is a smart coach who has players around him that just refuse to buy in. Iverson might be the exception.
  The problem with the NBA is that coaches do not rule. They're supposed to have the power to bench a guy. I think Karl would bench Anthony and some other players more if he thought he could, but he can't, because it might cost him his job.

• January 25, 2008

  11:54 AM

  Jacob writes:

  Can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with Tom. Carmelo is overrated. Although I think that Karl is a bit of a primadona himself. He's always had underachieving teams from his days with the Bucks and Ray Allen and Sam Cassell to when he was in Seattle with Gary Payton and Sean Kemp. Karl needs to go.

• January 25, 2008

  12:17 PM

  King writes:

  All yall need 2 kiss the f***k off its melos team and melos time ai is a ball hog i love ai but b4 real and drew u need 2 stop b n a dumbass person u hate on blck ppl all da time so go 2 hell u racesit

• January 25, 2008

  1:18 PM

  Tom writes:

  King....

  Please.

  Grammar is your friend.

  So is punctuation.

  And Drew....if you're around, I'm thinking King might be a good candidate for being banned from posting here, eh? Wow. Just, wow.

• January 25, 2008

  5:02 PM

  Tom writes:

  I'd add that Carmelo should easily be the most likely player to be traded so that the Nuggets can improve the overall depth of the franchise.

  If I were in charge, I'd ship out Anthony for a good solid bench that would include a top-notch defender, a guy who can rebound like a madman, and a guy like the Nuggets used to have in Earl Boykins (i.e. a guy who can come in and change the pace from turtle-like to rabbit-quick, and be instant offense for 8-12 minutes over the course of a game.)

  Right now, the Nuggets have no bench. They need a bench to succeed. More than half their points are coming from 2 guys. That is not a recipe for playoff success. Maybe it's exciting for the regular season, but it will never win a playoff round.

• January 25, 2008

  5:45 PM

  rx writes:

  No bench? Lemme see, when fully healthy, the Nuggets have Nene, Kleiza, Atkins/Carter, Najera, Hunter, and Smith coming off the bench. I'd say that's pretty deep. Also, trade Carmelo and sign an Iverson analog in Boykins (actually Boykins shoots even more and defends even less...the best thing this team ever did was get rid of him)? That's silly. I agree they need to play more defense, but defense is about effort, not talent. All the Nuggets could D-up more than they do...they just need to put forth the effort. As for you assertion that most rebounds just bounce to a player and they get credit...tell that to Camby, Dwight Howard, Dennis Rodman, Ben Wallace, etc. Methinks they would disagree with that thought. Rebounding is also all about effort and Carmelo has definitely shown more of that this season, especially when his shots aren't falling. Many of his double-doubles come when he doesn't score as many points. I'm just not sure you really know much about basketball, bro.

• January 25, 2008

  9:36 PM

  Tom writes:

  "....the Nuggets have Nene, Kleiza, Atkins/Carter, Najera, Hunter, and Smith coming off the bench."

  That's not a bench. It could be an injured list, but it's not a bench.

  Even when healthy, it's not a bench. But you've got your own opinion.

  Cheers.

• January 26, 2008

  3:44 PM

  Harry Thomas writes:

  Tom:

  There is one coach who does rule: Gregg Popovich of the Spurs. I've watched him chew out Tim Duncan on the sidelines, or rip Tony Parker a new one for a bad play. In the 2007 championship video, he is seen telling Manu Ginobili and the rest of the players that "one bad foul means you're playing golf for the summer;" a reference to Ginobili's foul of Dirk Nowisiki of Dallas during their Game 7 loss in the 2006 playoffs. And those are his top three players.
  The Spurs tried a prima donna player about 10 years ago: Dennis Rodman. They got rid of him and never looked back. Yes, Rodman went on to win a ring with the Bulls, but he also was playing with Jordan.
  Last year, Popovich said that the 2006-07 Spurs were the "worst defensive team he had ever coached" in print and on TV. They won the championship. I'd say he qualifies as a ruler.
  

• January 28, 2008

  11:12 PM

  Charlie writes:

  Let me remind everyone that hates on Carmelo. The Nuggets have made the playoffs every year since he's been in their uniform.

  They haven't been able to advance because teams collapse and triple team him. Denver needs a 3pt shooter and a PF that can stay healthy.