"Denver's" Carmelo Anthony has been the talk of the NBA. And the reason I put the word "Denver" in quotations is that in a matter of weeks, Anthony might not be Denver's for much long. For all we know, there is an equal probability that Anthony will be wearing a Denver jersey, a New York jersey, a New Jersey jersey, or a Chicago jesey. His future is uncertain. The Denver Nuggets' future is uncertain.
And in the midst of all this uncertainty, training camp has begun. Training camp is when the team roster meets and holds media day, practices as a team, and gels as one cohesive unit before the start of the season. Or, that's what you're supposed to do. Denver's Chauncey Billups is wondering if he'll be passing Anthony the ball in a matter of weeks when preseason begins. Nuggets coach George Karl is still wondering if he'll have the luxury of having Anthony on his roster. How is a team supposed to practice with such distractions? How is a team to gel? How is a city like Denver supposed to get excited for its team?
And unlike the majority of my posts, I'm not going to sit here and type how I think Anthony, along with other select professional athletes, is spoiled and selfish - not because I don't believe it, but because I already did that. I'm more interested in symphathizing with the city of Denver. Here are a couple of things that it has had to swallow over the past couple:
1). "Mile High is nothing compared to City Lights." Although this is not a direct quote, Anthony's actions certainly uphold this statement. Anthony has constantly been showing interest in big-market cities, like New York, New Jersey, and Chicago. How terrible for a city like Denver to respect and support a player who doesn't reciprocate the same respect and support!
2). $85 million for 3 years doesn't cut it. Even after Anthony has constantly flirted with other teams and has repeatedly disrespected his organization, Denver still wanted to pay him close to the salary cap for 3 years, $85 million. He rejects it. Whenever anyone rejects that amount of money, you know his eyes are set elsewhere. And let's turn our attention back to the city of Denver. In the 2007-2008 NBA season, Denver was a sheer contender for the championship. Anthony was the league's leading scorer and his tandem with Allen Iverson, who was the league's fourth leading scorer at the time, was proving deadly for all of Denver's opponents. And then, during one game in Madison Square Garden, Carmelo sucker punches New York's Mardy Collins in the jaw that starts a brawl at the Garden. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as this brawl, but regardless, Anthony was suspended for 20+ games, and after coming back, his team dropped to the last playoff seed in the West and was swept by the #1 seeded Los Angeles Lakers. But the fans stood by Anthony, after he single-handedly disrupted what could have been an exciting year for Denver. Anthony's mishaps that year snowballed into greater problems for the Nuggets, despite one season during the 2009 NBA season where they made the Conference Finals (more credit should go to veteran point guard Chauncey Billups than Anthony).
And now Anthony is complaining that he doesn't see Denver's franchise going anywhere? Isn't he the one that acted like a child rather than a leader? And to see Anthony throwing the offered contract in the face of the Nuggets organization and the city of Denver is disheartening for Denver's fans. They've stood by the 26-year old for seven years, hoping he'd mature, hoping he'd be the leader that Denver never saw but always wanted. I guess some qualities never develop in a person.
But is this maybe the Nugget's fault for believing Anthony to be someone he wasn't? When they interviewed him as a rookie, did they not see that he wouldn't put in the time on the defensive end? Did they not see his lack of drive to meet his potential? Or did they try to see passed all of the "bad" and focus on, not the "good", but the "hopeful" - the hope that Carmelo would mature one day?
And now let's turn our attention back to the city of Denver. Seven years of "hope" all to waste. Every year, anticipating something great from Carmelo, but only to receive the same things - outstanding offensive numbers, but terrible efforts on the defensive end and lacking motivation and drive during spells of the regular season. Carmelo's on his way out, Denver's "hope" should do the same.
- Leather Head
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