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On the eve of the 2010-2011 season, Carmelo Anthony is still a Denver Nugget…
And he couldn’t be happier about the Nuggets’ first opponent.
Denver will host the division nemisis Utah Jazz to kick off what could be Melo’s last year, month or week with the club… depending on which trade rumors you believe. For his part, Anthony is just happy to have an early chance for revenge after Denver’s playoff run ended in a first round collapse to the veteran Jazz.
“I think the NBA was reading my mind. They granted my wish,” Anthony said. “I wanted Utah the first game. I know there’s going to be a lot of excitement. They got us out in the playoffs last year. We kept that in mind.”
The rest of the Nuggets likely feel the same, and should like their chances given a healthy George Karl manning the Denver bench. Karl missed most of the latter half of last season to throat and neck cancer treatment. Assistant Adrian Dantley filled in for George, and was simply overpowered by Jerry Sloan’s two decades of mastery as Jazz head coach. The Nuggets were 42-21 under Karl last season.
The Nuggets won the season series last year 3-1. Denver clocked 114, 105, 119 & 106 on the pointsometer in those four games, and were able to generate a grinding 105-95 win in Utah without Carmelo Anthony & Chauncey Billups. That road win featured George Karl’s favorite bench players outworking Jerry Sloan’s workmanlike Jazz in a preview of what the team might look like without a superstar on the roster.
Denver will begin ’10-’11 without the services of big men Kenyon Martin & Chris Andersen after twin offseason knee surgeries. K-Mart & Birdman are questionable through the first month of the new season. Free agent acquisition Al Harrington will try to fill the void at Power Forward.
For now the Nuggets should get the job done at home with Denver still auditioning for Melo’s love. Anthony has maintained all along that he simply wants to keep his options open, and calls the Nuggets his team at every opportunity. A lot of “us” and “we” talk for a man on the move. If the Nuggets play like a Championship contender early it will raise Anthony’s trade value… and give the organization a reason to keep Melo in Denver as long as he’ll stay.
“As of right now I’m starting the game against Utah on our home court which I’m excited about,” offered Anthony on “The Scott Van Pelt Show” on Tuesday. “I can’t predict the future so whatever is going to happen is going to happen. But right now I’m just focusing on the upcoming season.”
