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Just four days after Danilo Gallinari outplayed Carmelo Anthony in a Nuggets win in New York City, the Italian forward has signed a four-year $42 million dollar extension to stay in Denver.

Gallinari was the key piece in a trade that sent Melo to the Knicks last season.  On Saturday night Gallo showed himself to be the superior player by outscoring, outrebounding, outdefending and generally outplaying Carmelo at Madison Square Gardens.  Apparently, the Nuggets have seen enough of Danilo that they are willing to build their future around his burgeoning talents.

At 23 years old, Gallinari is just hitting his stride in the NBA.  (Learn more about Danilo Gallinari)  He leads the Democratically-oriented Denver offense with 17.4 points per game – one of six Nuggets averaging double-digit points.  But what sets Gallo apart from Melo and most other NBA forwards is his commitment to improving his defensive game.  Danilo has put in more minutes this season than any other Nugget, and the big reason coach George Karl keeps him on the court is his stalwart defense.  Gallinari is +74 in 17 games so far.

Nuggets General Manager Masai Ujiri can count the Gallinari extension as another feather in his cap following the successful trade of Anthony to New York and the re-signing of restricted free agent shooting guard Arron Afflalo in the abbreviated offseason.  Ujiri was also responsible for the Nuggets exercising their option on young point guard Ty Lawson late last season, and for the decision to retain sixth man Al Harrington instead of amnestying his contract per the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.  The youthful core that Ujiri and young owner Josh Kroenke are building – combined with their willingness to stick with resurgent veterans like Al Harrington and Andre Miller – has made the Nuggets a contender now and into the foreseeable future.

This extension represents a considerable raise for Gallinari, who will make $4,190,182 this season and roughly $10.5 million next season.  Thanks to the trade that got Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups’ sizeable contracts off the books, Denver will still have the cap space to consider signing restricted free agent small forward Wilson Chandler when he returns from playing in China this March.

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Looking healthy and energetic following his second defeat of cancer, Denver Nuggets coach George Karl finally has the team he has always wanted.  On any given night, the Nuggets could dominate with their starting five or cobble together a win with contributions all the way down the bench.

The Nuggets currently lead all NBA teams in points per game at 105.5 – a tick better than the Miami Heat’s 105.4 – and are perched firmly at second place in the Western Conference.  Only the division rival OKC Thunder are better in the West right now, but watching these young Nuggets you get the feeling that they are still a month or two away from playing their best basketball.

George is living in a coaching dreamland in Denver.  He’s got the kind of depth and athleticism that even most big market NBA teams lack.  Karl just has to decide who has the hot hand, who makes the best matchup, and which of his ten floor-worthy players get time each night.

Coming over from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005, George was heralded as a matchups guru with the ability to challenge the best coaches in the league.  Now that Phil Jackson has retired from Lakerland, Coach Karl may be the best matchups coach in the league.  And with Carmelo Anthony slowing the offense to a crawl in New York, the Nuggets have the cap space and floor time to run the most dynamic, team-oriented style in the league.

In his early years with the Nuggets, Karl had the pitiable task of making sure Melo got his points every game.  Now George can watch five players score double-digits and have a half-dozen guys geared up to make big shots in the final minutes.  Plus, an increased load on the bench means the Nuggets can throw a relentless up-tempo attack at their opponents for 48 minutes.  No wonder Denver leads the league at 24.5 assists per game.

On Wednesday night Karl’s Nuggets will have a chance to close out an undefeated five-game road swing.  Four victories so far include overtime triumphs versus the surprising 76ers and the struggling Knicks.  Now Denver draws the defensively challenged Kings in Sacramento.  With six Nuggets averaging 10+ points per game, Denver looks strong to return home Friday with one of the best records in the NBA.

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The Denver Nuggets committed highway robbery when they sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks in return for a full complement of up-and-coming talent last season.  That fact was never more apparent than it was on Saturday night after Danilo Gallinari finished trumping Carmelo Anthony at Madison Square Gardens.

The Nuggets managed to grind out a 119-114 double-overtime win in NYC thanks to Gallinari’s dominant play.  In a game that pitted superstar Carmelo Anthony against two of the guys he was traded for – Gallinari and center Timofey Mozgov – it was the Nuggets’ new stars that won the day.  Even if Denver had not landed Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler in the deal that sent Melo and Chauncey Billups to New York, the Nuggets may have gotten their money’s worth with Gallinari.

Gallo outplayed Melo in virtually every aspect of the game on Saturday night in Manhattan.  Danilo scored more points – 37 to 25 – pulled down more rebounds – 11 to 10 – and played better defense than his New York counterpart.  While defensive prowess is sometimes difficult to demonstrate with statistics, it was wicked simple in this case.  Carmelo finished with a plus/minus of -9 over 45 minutes.  Gallinari finished with a +5… the exact margin of victory for the Nuggets.

Meanwhile, center Timofey Mozgov – who was the final piece in the trade that sent Melo to the Knicks – managed a +5 rating as well.  Mozgov paired that with 16 points and 3 big blocks in a tight game that saw 14 lead changes and 15 ties.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Nuggets – all on the road – who now stand firmly in second place in the Western Conference behind the division-rival Oklahoma City Thunder.  While the season is still in its early stages, Denver has weathered a tough opening schedule and come out on top.  They will enjoy a rare three day break before heading to Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, the Knicks drop to 6-10 and have lost six consecutive games.  They are one of two teams with losing records in the top-heavy Eastern Conference that would make the playoffs if the season ended today.

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The Denver Nuggets powered past the Lakers on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, just their latest feat of strength since trading Carmelo Anthony.  Turns out it’s a good time to be a die-hard Nuggets fan.

That 95-90 win before a spoiled Staples Center crowed locked the Nuggets in for a playoff spot with 6 games remaining in the regular season.  A game that began with LA fans heckling during the National Anthem ended with those same fans hitting the exits early as Denver pulled away late.

Ray Felton had another fourth quarter explosion to propel Denver past a Lakers squad that had lost just once since the All Star Break.  Before Felton’s closing heroics it was Danilo Gallinari’s offense and a total team defensive effort that kept the Nuggets and Lakers locked in a tight duel that saw neither team lead by more than 7 points.

Now ESPN’s Marc Stein has dragged the Nuggets from 7^th in his weekly Power Rankings all the way up to 3^rd behind LA and Chicago.  John Hollinger’s stat-driven daily Power Rankings have had the Nuggets ranked at 3^rd for weeks, so it was good to see Stein belatedly catch on.  Perhaps the nationally-televised stifling of the World Champion Lakers on Sunday was the first Nuggets game that Stein bothered to watch post-Melo.  If so, welcome to the waking world Marc.

Clueless East Coast sportswriters aside, plenty of basketball aficionados have been singing the Nuggets’ praises for weeks.  Bill Simmons, the thinking man’s sportswriter, for one.  There are others though…

Denver Post staff writer Woody Paige lauds the Nuggets’ newfound defensive pressure and scoring depth every chance he gets as a regular contributor to ESPN’s sports talk game show ‘Around the Horn’.  TNT’s Charles Barkley jumped on the Denver Bandwagon early, claiming that the Nuggets were the deepest team in the NBA following a defensively sound 89-75 thumping of the (then) East-best Boston Celtics way back on February 24^th.  In his post-game remarks on the Nuggets, Barkley became the first national sports figure to state what many others in sports media are just now coming to understand – the Denver Nuggets are a better basketball team without Carmelo Anthony.

Of course, it helped that the Melo (plus Chauncey) Trade netted a trio of worthy starters in Gallinari, Felton and Wilson Chandler.  It was Chandler defending Lakers star Kobe Bryant on Sunday, holding the perennial MVP candidate to 37% shooting from the floor.  That was Bryant’s worst shooting game in two weeks, and Kobe missed all four of his three-point attempts trying to shoot over a combination of Chandler and JR Smith.

Even Timofey Mozgov, another ex-Knick who landed in Denver, got considerable playing time with Chris “Birdman” Andersen sidelined by an ankle injury.  The Mozgov was absolutely dominant in the defensive paint during his 15 minutes off the bench.

The All Star Lakers, winners of the last two NBA Championships, were at a loss all game trying to solve Denver’s defensive tenacity and bench-deep offensive pressure.  The Lakers are the runners-up (behind the Yankees) for title of All-Time Haves in the perennial Sports World battle between Haves and Have-Nots.  That luxury has made them soft in many ways, lazy in others, and Denver has the kind of deep, driven team to exploit those weaknesses.

Even the Lakers’ fans appear to have caught a case of the fit ‘n quits watching LA win so consistently for so long.  In crunch time Kobe Bryant threw fits when his wild, off-kilter shots didn’t drop and his Star Power failed to elicit auto-calls from the referees.  A particularly spirited floor-slapping fit elicited a technical foul instead.  Bryant responded by giving up on team basketball and trying to win the game solo.

Kobe’s Lakers are a perfect reflection of the fan-base, which threw fits early and quit on its team late.

A microphone malfunction quieted the pre-game singing of the National Anthem, with Lakers fans jeering and yelling to drown out the acoustic rendition.  It was a fitting display of classless bravado on the part of the LA faithful.  Later on, when Lakers jerseys were streaming out the exits in droves with just under a minute left in a still winnable game, it was appropriate to remember that pre-game hostility.

Los Angeles fans are the spoiled children too used to getting what they want who throw tantrums when things didn’t go just right.

Back in Denver I watched with family and friends as Staples Center emptied out.  I thought back to half-empty McNichols Arena during the Jester Nuggets Era and half-effort games during the Melo Era.  Remembered how Carmelo almost went to Detroit and how Kobe almost came to Denver.  Watched as Kenyon Martin pounded his chest and screamed after that fleeing LA crowd, “What!?”

It’s a good time to be a die-hard Nuggets fan.  Who’da thunk it?

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After scoring 110+ points in their last three games, the Denver Nuggets relied on defense to down the Hawks in Atlanta on Wednesday night.

None of the Nuggets scored more than 20 points, but five Denver players scored in double-digits on the way to a 103-87 road victory. After draining 18 and 17 threes in their last two games, the Nuggets attempted just 14 shots from beyond the arc in Atlanta. Keeping with their superb team shooting, though, Denver buried 7 of those threes to pace the Hawks.

Nene scored 20 and grabbed 7 rebounds, but it was his 4 huge blocks that forced Atlanta to play a perimeter shooting game. Once Denver forced the Hawks offense out of the paint, Denver’s excellent shooting offense took over. For the third game in a row, the Nuggets shot 50% or better from three-point range. Better yet, Denver connected on 53% of its field goal attempts.

In the post-Melo era in Denver, the Nuggets have adapted to a team-oriented style that was showcased in Atlanta on Wednesday. Aside from great ball movement leading to open looks and an incredibly high shooting percentage, Denver’s defense has improved at a remarkable rate. Since the big trade, the Nuggets are allowing almost ten points less per game to their opponents.

Against a tough Hawks squad, that shooting efficiency and solid defense paid dividends. Ty Lawson had another double-digit assist total (10) leading to easy makes for his teammates, and Kenyon Martin teamed with Nene to shut down Atlanta’s interior attack.

Aside from excellent two-way play by the Nuggets, the team turned around a trend of beating teams with bench depth. Denver’s starters all finished +10 or better, and Atlanta’s starters finished -10 or worse. In fact, the Nuggets hardly needed their bench until the final minutes of the fourth quarter when the game was already decided.

Denver has now gone 9-2 since trading Carmelo Anthony to go with their current four-game winning streak. Wilson Chandler led Denver with 10 rebounds in another impressive effort filling Melo’s old spot in the Nuggets’ starting lineup. Chandler scored 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting with a block and 2 assists.

The Nuggets have won the first two games of a tough four-game road trip. Next up are back-to-back games at Orlando and Miami on Friday and Saturday nights.

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The Nuggets won in Phoenix for the first time in seven years on Thursday behind a breakout performance by Ty Lawson.

Denver’s sophomore point guard pushed the Nuggets’ up-tempo offense to 33 fast-break points, distributed 11 assists, and scored 20 as he outplayed Suns counterpart Steve Nash.  By the end of the third quarter Nash had been relegated to the Phoenix bench while Lawson worked to buff up an already robust stat line.

Even the 116-97 final score does little justice to the Nuggets’ victory.

Led by Lawson and fellow point guard Ray Felton, often at the same time, Denver built a healthy first half lead on ball movement resulting in open shots.  In the second half the Nuggets pressed Phoenix into turnovers, charged the floor on possession changes, and built a sustained 20+ point lead.

Five Nuggets scored in double-digits, led by Nene’s 22 in abbreviated play.  With Denver dominating in the second half Chris Andersen came in to do cleanup duty, slamming home 12 points on 5 dunks and 6-6 shooting.

Gary Forbes, who started in place of the injured Arron Afflalo, grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds in just 21 minutes.  Forbes, who played in Europe the last two seasons, got the start over JR Smith.  Most Nuggets fans expected Smith, Denver’s productive 6^th Man, to start in Afflalo’s stead.  Coach George Karl decided to go with Gary the Grinder just two days after landing a three-year contract extension.

With job security and no Melo to force-feed possessions to, Karl is at liberty to take a “what I say goes” approach to coaching these Nuggets.  George runs the show and Denver has responded by playing great team basketball with scoring and defensive depth that is quickly becoming the envy of the league.

JR responded to the snub by dropping 12 points off the bench to go with 4 rebounds and 3 assists, a standard stat line for the athletic shooting guard.  Smith logged 24 minutes and drained three key treys; one that stopped a Suns min-run in the first quarter and another that beat the third quarter buzzer to put Denver up 90-66.

The Nuggets are 6-2 since trading Carmelo Anthony to the NY Knicks.  Denver has played five of those games without Danilo Gallinari, the small forward swapped from New York to replace Melo in the Nuggets’ starting lineup.  Despite missing Gallo, the Nuggets have maintained their league-best 107.4 points per game.

Denver’s smart, aggressive defense generated 15 steals and held the Phoenix starters in check for three quarters before backing off.  Since trading Anthony, the Nuggets’ D has held opponents to an average of 94 points per game.  That’s a full ten points below their season average before the trade.

Phoenix reserve Center Marcin Gortat led the Suns with 14 points and 18 rebounds.

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Denver head coach George Karl has signed a contract extension with the Nuggets that will keep him in the Mile High City for at least another three years.

While details of Karl’s new contract have not been released by the team, multiple reports have Karl signing with the Nuggets through the end of the 2013-2014 NBA Season.  Some rumors detailing the finer points of Coach Karl’s new contract have the Nuggets getting three individual optional years beyond the third season.

Karl has coached the Nuggets for seven seasons, bringing Denver to the playoffs each and every year.  The Nuggets went as far as Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals in 2009, and were expected to make a similar run in 2010 before Karl was diagnosed with neck and throat cancer halfway through last season.

Part of Karl’s close relationship with the Nuggets organization stems from his experience following that diagnosis and throughout the debilitating chemotherapy treatment that followed.  Speaking on the family that owns the Nuggets and recently transferred controlling interest from father Stan to son Josh, Karl said, “The Kroenkes have been great throughout this entire process. They’ve been very supportive of me as a coach and during my battle with cancer.”

Vice President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri took over Denver’s front office management last summer and oversaw the exit of Carmelo Anthony from the Nuggets.  That frustrating process ended last month when Melo and fan favorite Chauncey Billups went to New York in return for a slew of talented players.

As soon as those difficult negotiations ended, Masai was charged by the Kroenkes with re-signing Karl, and Ujiri did not disappoint.  “Extending George’s contract has been one of our top priorities,” said Ujiri after announcing the signing on Tuesday. “He’s done a tremendous job since arriving in Denver, and particularly with the unique challenges of this season. With George on the bench, we have a bright future and everyone here is focused on finishing the season strong.”

The Nuggets have gone 5-2 since Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Knicks.  In those seven games, Denver has boasted five different high-scorers.

Karl became the seventh coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games earlier this season.  As happy as the Nuggets are to have locked up one of the best coaches in league history, Coach Karl is equally happy to be most likely finishing his long career in Denver.

“I’ve always said Denver is the place I want to end my career,” said Karl after inking his new contract. “This puts me one step closer to achieving that goal.”

See George Karl’s Coaching Tree

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Before you read Carmelo Anthony’s parting love letter to Denver Nuggets fans, there are a few things you should keep in mind for perspective…

First, Melo played hard for seven solid years in Denver.  Many people never hold a job for seven years in their entire lives, and Anthony gave Nuggets fans seven good years in the prime of his career.  He even played hard most of this season while the Melodrama enveloped himself and his team.

Second, Carmelo brought Denver basketball to a new level of prominence.  His presence on the team, his personality, his highlights spins, shots and dunks all contributed to the Mile High City developing a youth basketball fan base that did not exist before.

Third, many of the players that came to Denver during the Melo Era either did so because Anthony was on the team or became better (JR Smith) by learning from a star player.

And finally, Anthony could have walked away from Denver in the offseason and left the Nuggets getting nothing in return.  Granted, a major motivating factor in forcing a trade during the season was that Melo got paid big money now before a new CBA lost him $20 million off his next contract.

Still, he worked with the Nuggets to make sure Denver got the best possible deal in a trade.  Melo didn’t run his mouth to the press about how he wanted out, he didn’t involve himself in shady backroom discussions with potential trade partners, and he generally operated with class and honor while defending his right to play basketball in another city.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – don’t hate Melo for making his way to NYC.  It was one man’s personal choice.  We fans don’t own Anthony, and the Nuggets may even be a better team without a superstar one-on-one specialist gumming up the works.

Don’t hate the player, hate the game… and be sure to give Carmelo Anthony due props when he comes to town with his Knicks next season.

And now, Melo’s letter to his Denver fans as posted on his website earlier today…

“A Note to My Denver fans

Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 11:35 AM by Admin

I had to let you know how I felt about you, the city, my fans, my friends. You’ve been supportive of me and my NBA career for the past 8 years and that doesn’t go unnoticed.

Drafted when I was 19 I called Denver and the Nuggets my home. The city and the fans embraced me and watched me grow as a man and a player.

There are no words to express the gratitude and appreciation I have for Denver, the Nuggets and all the fans.

You will always be a part of my heart.

One Love,

Melo

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The Denver Nuggets defense did not allow the Boston Celtics to score in the final six minutes of the game.

The Nuggets’ 25^th-worst D held for six solid minutes against the Eastern Conference Champs.  Better yet, a Denver squad that led the league in personal fouls committed none in the final three minutes.

And what of the league-leading Nuggets offense… sans Melo?

Denver slashed, dashed, worked and treyed their way to victory with a fourth quarter explosion.  The boys in powder blue were athletic and aggressive, and their closing 16-0 run sealed a big 89-75 victory over the second-best team in the NBA.

New York transplant Wilson Chandler scored 16 points and the unstoppable JR Smith dropped 12, the two effectively filling in the Melo-hole in the lineup.  JR & Wilson combined for three key treys in the decisive fourth quarter.  That salvo of bombs fell just after TNT announcers declared that the Nuggets had no answer for a tough defense late in games without Carmelo Anthony to work one-on-one.

It was a telling mischaracterization of a team that had already proven two nights ago versus Memphis that it had the depth and speed to withstand the loss of a superstar.   Denver is playing a group game now without Melo to stop the ball on a quarter of their possessions.

The change certainly came out of necessity, but it has also been effective.  As if a blockage was cleared from a precision machine.

George Karl’s machine, in fact, which featured a component missing since this time last season when Kenyon Martin busted his left knee.  K-Mart’s season-ending injury came just before Coach Karl withdrew from the team to battle cancer.  The Nuggets struggled to a painful first-round playoff loss, and Karl watched as Utah mastermind Jerry Sloan overpowered Denver’s replacement coaching staff.

So it was fitting that Karl trusted Martin to attack the NBA’s best defense, and that Kenyon responded by scoring a game-high 18 points.  Martin missed the first third of this 2010-2011 Season, and he has been ineffective in his return.  Versus the Celtics, the sleeping giant awoke with 10 big rebounds, tough defense and a swagger that was missing from this Denver team for almost a year.

Karl’s Nuggets played fast, team offense combined with aggressive team defense.  They worked together in a vision of what veteran coaches ask for from their teams.

There were no distractions, and the only obstruction was learning to play together.  But Denver rarely wasted possessions, and ended up outworking the Boston grinders.  The Nuggets trusted their instincts, let their scorers create plays, and got double-digit contributions from five different players during a slugfest.

Leading the Nuggets into the fray were sophomore Ty Lawson and former Knick Raymond Felton, who traded styles at point guard throughout the game.  Ty cut deep into the Celtics’ lane and invented scores.  Ray worked Denver in slowly with a more veteran touch.  The two combined for 16 assists and worked together to keep the Nuggets playing an up-tempo game for four quarters.

The depth that the Nuggets acquired in the Anthony trade allowed them to overmatch the Celtics, who had to call up Development League center Chris Johnson to fill out their depleted lineup.  A trade-deadline deal sent veteran Boston big-man Kendrick Perkins and reserve guard Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier Thursday.

Meanwhile, Danilo Gallinari joined Felton and Chandler in playing their first game as Nuggets.  Gallinari drove for a powerful, athletic early dunk that set a tone for the Nuggets.  Then he filled in with 4 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals.  Felton led all players in plus/minus with a +15.  Chandler went 3-4 from deep, burying the lead-changing three that started Denver’s 16-point finish.

In a matchup of two trade-worn teams, Denver showed that their workmanlike win over Memphis was no fluke.  The New Look Nuggets downed the original Big Three of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett with the same great effort and a lot more depth.  Denver turned a close game into a runaway win with drive and style.

This is the Nuggets’ third consecutive win after going 3-7 in their previous ten games.  They are tied for fifth in the Western Conference with New Orleans, who has the tiebreaker over Denver.

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When the Broncos announced that they had re-signed Champ Bailey to a four-year deal on Tuesday afternoon, it came as a little bit of a shock.

After all, Bailey had put his Denver-area house on the market a week prior.  Carmelo Anthony had just ditched the Mile High City for Manhattan.  The Avalanche had just dumped their top goalie, power forward and defensive prospect in two knee-jerk trades. The much-loved Mammoth were still in the midst of the worst slide in franchise history.

Nothing in the Colorado sports landscape seemed safe.

Then in swooped the woebegone Broncos with a four-year $43 million deal that will virtually assure Champ Bailey a Denver retirement, a spot on the Ring of Fame, and the enduring love of Broncos fans.  What contrast!

And perhaps that explains the Broncos’ willingness to extend their rebuilding franchise’s checkbook to sign a veteran corner on the downside of his career to a multi-year deal.  Compared to the Avalanche, the Broncos look like they have their proverbial shit together.  Compared to Carmelo Anthony, Champ Bailey (who could have easily found another NFL suitor) seems like a saint.

So when John Elway tweeted Tuesday, “We are thrilled to announce that the Broncos have agreed to terms on a new four-year contract with cornerback Champ Bailey” what he was really saying was, “We’ve got you Denver.”

A sports market bludgeoned by months of Melo-drama and weeks of downright bad hockey got the glimmer of hope they had been secretly praying for.  Champ was back, seemingly for good.

And when Elway tweeted yet later on Tuesday, “The commitment and loyalty that Champ has shown to the Broncos, the city of Denver and this region is exemplary” he was showing off his hand.  President Elway was the proud papa of the most exciting contract that the second-worst team in the NFL had ever signed before Draft Day.  The commitment to keeping defensive stalwart Champ Bailey to complement Tim Tebow on offense said to a beleaguered Broncos fan base, “We’ve got you Denver.”

Whether it be clever marketing or an honest attempt to rapidly right the ship, the Denver Broncos have reminded fans that they are a proud franchise dedicated to putting players on the field worth rooting for.  By filling one hole on an atrocious defense, the Broncos reminded a battle-weary Denver sports market that this is still a football town.

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