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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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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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By knocking off the 76ers in Philly on Wednesday night the Denver Nuggets grabbed their 10^th win in 15 games played and handed Philadelphia its first home loss.  The improved 76ers were 6-0 at home this season, and have played as well as any team in the NBA to this point.  The final score in overtime read 108-104 in favor of the Nuggets thanks to a breakout 28-point effort by backup point guard Andre Miller.

Denver’s 10-5 record locks them into a four-way tie for the third best winning percentage in the Western Conference.  That group includes the LA Lakers and Clippers plus the San Antonio Spurs, with Denver legend Chauncey Billups keeping the Clippers afloat while Chris Paul recuperates from an injury.

In a topsy, turvy NBA season the Nuggets are still getting their footing like most other clubs.  On Wednesday it was great to see the guard duo of Lawson and Miller pick up where Lawson and the departed Raymond Felton left off last year.  Against the 76ers Lawson and Miller combined for 84 minutes of floor time, 41 points and 17 assists.  Nene chipped in 14 rebounds and 20 points, including 4 of the Nuggets’ 12 points in overtime.

Denver still sits behind the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder in both the Conference and Northwest Division standings.  But the Jazz are playing over their heads thanks to a favorable opening schedule where 14 of their first 20 games will be played at home.  Brutal February and March road trips will bring Utah back down to earth.

The Thunder are another story entirely.  OKC stands at the top of the NBA with a 12-3 record following their first bad loss last night in Washington.  The young, athletic Thunder are primed for this fast-paced season, and it will take some incredible consistency from the Nuggets to keep pace.  Oklahoma City is bound to have its share of off nights – like losing to the 12 loss Wizards – but stand to be the NBA’s best club barring major setbacks or a surprise run by another young team like the Clippers.

Luckily Denver has a pretty smooth schedule through the rest of January.  If the Nuggets can keep ahead of both Los Angeles-es and the Spurs, they can put pressure on these depth-challenged squads as the unusual 2011-2012 NBA Season wears on.  Just as younger teams have a chance to jump ahead in the standings, older clubs like the Lakers and Spurs will be dropping winnable games come March and April.

For the Nuggets – who have a nice blend of veteran presence and ample young talent – it will simply be a matter of building offensive chemistry and playing the brand of aggressive defense that made Denver a tough out in last season’s NBA Playoffs.  With a healthy and energized George Karl at the helm, the Nuggets may not be far off from realizing their potential as an elite Western Conference contender.

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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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Denver’s reaction to the eventual Melo-to-Knicks trade said it all…

You were hard-pressed to find Nuggets fans who would admittedly miss Carmelo, most saying instead that they were happy to see him go and to get something in return.

No… Denverites were fine with Anthony heading to New York.  It was Chauncey Billups’ exit from his reunion tour with the Nuggets that stung.  Make no mistake about it: Denver sports fans are fuming about hometown hero Chauncey getting caught up in this mess.

So what does that say about Carmelo?  About his legacy in Denver?  Certainly it says something telling.

Not that Denver fans will soon be forgetting seven straight trips to the playoffs during the Anthony Era.  Not that Melo taking Chauncey to New York with him makes the Nuggets’ 2009 run to the Western Conference Finals any less awesome or memorable.

But you always got the feeling that Carmelo saw himself as bigger than Denver.  Perhaps rightfully so considering Melo’s success as an Olympian and his loyal league-wide following.

But Billups was a FIBA World Champion last year, a far rarer feat for US Basketball.  Billups has an NBA Title plus a Champ Series MVP under his belt too, and he was never bigger than Denver.  Chauncey the Champion, Big Shot Billups, was still the Prince of Park Hill.  Not bigger than Denver, Chauncey was Denver.

Even when he signed his first contract extension with the Nuggets in 2006, it was more that Anthony had poor representation and ended up jumping at the first big-money offer of his young career.  Had Melo hit the open market following his rookie contract, you better believe he ends up in Dallas, Miami or even Los Angeles.  Anthony had little loyalty to Denver, and so it was not entirely surprising to see that Denver had little loyalty to Melo.

Really, though, the Denver fan base has no reason to dislike the man.  (Carmelo didn’t drag Billups to NYC, Masai Ujiri sent him there.)  What we had with Melo was a business arrangement wherein all parties sought wins.  What we had with Chauncey was (still is) more real because it was a two-way street.  Billups loved being in Denver and the city loved having its hometown hero.  The contrast is perfect.

The Nuggets got their fair chances to grasp an elusive NBA Championship with Anthony around, but fate had other plans.  Were it not for the balky knees of Kenyon Martin, a host of injuries to Nene Hilario and the tragic timing of George Karl’s second battle with cancer, Denver gets more than one shot at winning the Wild West.  With the way this team was playing halfway through last season, a strong playoff run seemed inevitable.

Perhaps with the scent of a Championship Series on the wind, Anthony sticks it out in Denver and signs the Nuggets’ 3-year $65 million offer over the summer.  Despite his obvious desire to play on a bigger stage, Carmelo would have stayed in the Mile High City if he thought an NBA Title was in the works.  That’s just good business.

Somewhere along the way, though, Anthony decided that he was done betting his playoff chances on Kenyon’s knees or JR’s three-point shooting.  Even with a proven winner like Billups leading the charge, the Nuggets must have started looking second-rate compared to the continued dominance of the Lakers, the return to prominence of the Spurs, and the high ceiling of the Mavericks.

So here we are, Nuggets fans, watching Melo graduate from our mini-mecca on the high plains to the Big Apple – crown of the crowded northeast.

Anthony took his shots here, and either through circumstance or generosity Carmelo replenished Denver with a whole host of playable/tradable young talents as he left.  We should all think on him fondly, welcome him back once a year with cheers, and not begrudge him his opportunity to play every other night in the Manhattan basketball theater that is Madison Square Gardens.

The Nuggets are in a good place now despite the heart-wrenching loss of Billups.  A new Collective Bargaining Agreement looms, and Denver has such flexibility and fresh, inexpensive talent as to be the envy of the majority of the NBA.  We are no Cleveland, and even without Melo the Nuggets will likely remain a playoff team into the future.

Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony has a whole heap of pressure to deal with.  Losing a playoff series in Denver was still bringing playoff basketball to Denver.  Losing a playoff series or, heaven help him, failing to make the playoffs in the top-heavy East will bring down a firestorm of media madness on Melo’s head.  He has never really dominated in the playoffs, and the Knicks are kidding themselves if they think this somewhat lopsided trade makes them an overnight contender.

So here’s hoping that Carmelo knows what he’s getting himself into.

Here’s to the memories, to a few unfortunate regrets, and to the still-bright future of the Denver Nuggets.

(And here’s to the Knicks buying out Billups’ contract, to his hopefully forgiving our rat-fink front office, and to Chauncey retiring as a Denver Nugget.)

Happy trails Melo, enjoy the bright lights.

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Melo is headed to New York after Monday night trade negotiations that also sent Denver fan-favorite Chauncey Billups to the Knicks.  ESPN and the Denver Post named anonymous league sources in reporting the trade late Monday night.

The Nuggets will receive promising young forwards Danilo Gallinari (22) and Wilson Chandler (23), rising 7-foot center Timofey Mozgov (24), and former All Star point guard Ray Felton (26) plus bonus draft picks and cash.  The Knicks will get Melo, Chauncey, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman from Denver.

This blockbuster trade begs the immediate question, though, which team got the better deal?

Certainly not the Knicks, whose surprise success early this season came on the wings of the gifted young players they just traded away.  Despite now sporting the dangerous duo of small forward Carmelo and power forward Amare Stoudemire, New York was forced to cough up half of their team to get a deal done.

In order to grab the eventual first round draft pick that Denver demanded from this trade, the Knicks had to dig even deeper and give up yet more youth in Anthony Randolph, along with reserve center Eddy Curry.  Those two will head to Minnesota and the Timberwolves will send guard Corey Brewer to New York plus a 2014 first rounder to the Nuggets.

And while Denver will have to wait three years to capitalize on that first round pick, the Knicks will have to answer to New York’s mad media right away.

Carmelo Anthony is a prolific scorer, of course, but New York has been running the league’s 2^nd-best offense under coach Mike D’Antoni this year.  Now the Knicks must continue their impressive scoring trends without their young core, while working to improve on a defense that is the 29^th-worst in the NBA.

Anthony is a fairly stout defender, but the defensive problems on D’Antoni-coached teams are systemic.  No help is coming for the Knicks when it comes to shutting down opposing scorers.   That means Melo will be charged with immediately providing ample offense once drawn from the young guys New York gave up to get him, in addition to fixing a defense that is fundamentally really, really bad.

Sounds like a no-win situation for Carmelo.

The Nuggets, on the other hand, just turned their ball-stopping All Pro forward into a bunch of young, malleable players capable of blossoming immediately under coach George Karl’s up-tempo offense.  Melo so often turned Nuggets possessions into one-on-one testaments to his scoring prowess that he monopolized a third of Denver’s offensive attempts.

Now the Nuggets get to start from a clean slate with a bevy of talented young players (Gallinari in particular) who look willing and able to improve within a sound system.  Coach Karl has already expressed his excitement for starting out with a fresh crew of up-and-coming talents, calling this “an opportunity to reinvent.”

We in the Denver sports community wish Melo the best of luck in New York, and should do so with class and sincere gratitude.  Anthony’s desire to sign a lucrative contract extension this season, along with his willingness to involve the Nets in pressure-filled negotiations over All Star Weekend, made possible a trade that gives the Nuggets a chance to avoid falling out of perennial-playoff-contender status.

Instead, Denver can either build on the pieces garnered from their deal with the Knicks, or turn around and trade off these young players for future draft picks.  In a year that seems destined to end with either an NBA labor stoppage or a ball-breaking new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Nuggets have positioned themselves perfectly to roll with the punches and then come out swinging.

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In the deal, Denver gets Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors’ 2012 second-round pick, the Warriors’ 2013 second-round pick and $3 million in cash. Heading to New York are Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman.

Check back tomorrow for more detailed analysis and reaction to this blockbuster trade.

Read more:Carmelo Anthony traded to New York Knicks in blockbuster deal – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_17443219#ixzz1Ef03UO8y
Read The Denver Post’s Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

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Episode 1: All Melodrama, All the Time
MP3 format – 22:59  (33.7MB)

In our first episode, Jason introduces the team and get things started by talking about the hottest topic in sports today – what’s going to happen with Carmelo Anthony? Ian Cerveny gives us a roundup of what the 2 principal players are offering, then Dan Olson and Preston Underwood join in as we discuss which scenarios we think are likely to play out, and what we think happens to Smooth – aka, Chauncey Billups – in this whole deal.

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Multiple sources from ESPN and the New York Daily News are reporting that All Star Weekend will be a hotbed of Melo-related trade activity.

According to anonymous sources, Carmelo Anthony is slated to meet with New York Knicks owner James Dolan and New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov in Los Angeles this weekend as NBA All Star Weekend activities unfold around them.  Melo is rumored to be expecting separate sales pitches from the two organizations centered around their plans to build a Championship-caliber team in the near future.

Despite recent assurances by a Nets spokesman that Prokhorov was sticking to his guns and keeping New Jersey out of trade negotiations, Yahoo! Sports reported yesterday that Mikhail is dealing directly with the Nuggets to make a trade happen.  Details of a potential trade are shaky at best, but would likely include three teams and up to four first round draft picks.  The Nuggets would land three of those picks along with promising young power forward Derrick Favors and guard Devin Harris.

According to most rumors, Denver would have to part with Chauncey Billups as part of a deal sending Melo to New York or Jersey.  However, if Chauncey is moved via trade, we could easily see his contract bought out by the Nets or the Knicks, and a return to Denver is not out of the question.

In a Melo to Knicks scenario, the Nuggets have effectively demanded the services of Italian small forward Danilo Gallinari and rookie guard Landry Fields in addition to multiple first round picks.  New York GM Donnie Walsh, who is in a contract year himself, is under immense pressure from both Dolan and the New York media/fan base to get a deal done.  Walsh is still working with the Nuggets and Timberwolves to finalize a three-team trade.

Complicating matters, NBA owners are already buzzing with discussions for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and many have expressed a desire to include a Franchise Tag.  Similar to the NFL’s tag system, an NBA Franchise Tag would lock up a player with his current team under a one-year deal at the average of top salaries at his position.  The Nuggets, who are still offering Carmelo Anthony a 3-year $65 million extension, could conceivably use such a tag if a new CBA is hammered out this summer.

Worse still, discussions for a new deal between the NBA and its players have put next season in jeopardy.

Melo surely knows this, and told the Denver Post last week that he would be “screwed” if he does not have an extension in place by the end of this season.  In fact, if the Nuggets do not find a trade partner for their franchise forward by the NBA Trade Deadline next Thursday, February 24^th, they would effectively be forcing Anthony to choose between extending his contract with Denver or accepting a lesser deal later.

Even if a new CBA does come to fruition this year, new top-line star contracts could be reduced by as much as a third.  That means Melo would be looking at a contract in the neighborhood of $40-45 million over three years, a loss of $20-25 million.

So the onus has been placed on Carmelo to drive his future.  As Melo meets with Prokhorov and Dolan in LA this weekend, the eyes of the NBA will be watching him as closely as they watch the All Star festivities.  Given the dramatic nature of these negotiations and the consequences of deals falling through, Anthony’s Melo-drama has quickly become the All Star Weekend Main Event.

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Sources in the Denver Nuggets front office have said that long-time consultant Bret Bearup will be leaving the organization.

The exit of Bearup will continue a complete restructuring of the Nuggets’ front office that began last season when Denver declined to offer new contracts to executive Rex Champan and General Manager Mark Warkentien.  Former Nuggets scout Masai Ujiri was brought over from the Toronto Raptors organization in the offseason to become Denver’s new Executive Vice President.

New Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke took over the team before the 2010-2011 Season so that his father, Stan Kroenke, could pursue complete ownership of the NFL’s Saint Louis Rams.  Since Josh took the reigns, the Nuggets front office has seen a major shakeup, with top executive positions getting predominantly younger in the process.

Bret Bearup is known as a successful talent scout.

He was largely responsible for the acquisitions of JR Smith & Arron Afflalo, who currently split minutes at shooting guard for Denver.  Bearup also got credit for pulling the strings in blockbuster trades for Allen Iverson & Chauncey Billups.  He has always been well-regarded within the organization, and there was no immediately clear reason for his departure.

Nuggets coach George Karl gave Bearup a positive review when asked about his leaving Denver.  “I think Bret’s a very good consultant for all of us at times, and I wish him the best. I hope he finds a good path. He had a lot of friends in the organization and in Denver.”

Bret will continue his roll as an advisor to Stan Kroenke, a result of their long-term friendship outside of Kroenke’s basketball ownership.

Bearup was a High School All-American basketball player at Harborfields High in Greenlawn, New York and played college ball at the University of Kentucky.

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