By Joe
Kaiser
Thursday, December 11th, 2003
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It was supposed to be the Carmelo Anthony show in Denver this season. When
the team struggled yet again and attendance sagged for another season, it
wouldn't matter. Carmelo would put the Nuggets on the map.
Little over a month into the season, it's been Carmelo and then some, as
the Nuggets have been the surprise team in all of the NBA. Currently at 13-8,
the team is riding back-to-back losses, meaning they were at one time seven
games above .500. Remember, this is a team that went 17-65 last season.
More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that they are currently just a half-game
back in the headed Midwest Division behind Houston and Dallas. Only two games
separate first place from the cellar in the division.
Most impressive in the early going has been the Nuggets' ability to play
with the top teams in the league. Each night out, they are a bearcat for
any team to face, much like the Nuggets team of 1994 that shocked the No.
1-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in round one of the playoffs. This team, rebuilt
over the last two seasons with a nucleus of young talent with a couple proven
veteran role players, can play.
Already, Denver has knocked off San Antonio, Sacramento, and Dallas, arguably
three of the top four teams in the Western Conference. And against Phoenix,
a team filled with superstars in Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury, and Amare
Stoudemire, Denver won by 30 points.
Leading the charge has been a cast of newcomers.
Anthony has been all that the organization could have hoped for from the
third overall third pick in the 2003 June draft, scoring 18.5 points, pulling
down 7.0 rebounds, dishing 3.0 assists, and averaging around one steal and
block per contest.
Deadly shooting guard Voshon Lenard, who played in Toronto last season after
an earlier stop in Denver, is second on the team in scoring with 15.2 points
per game.
Poing guard Andre Miller, acquired via free agency from the Los Angeles Clippers
in the offseason, has blossomed as the team's floor general, leading the
team in assists (5.9) and steals (1.6) while averaging 15.2 points.
Tiny guard Earl Boykins, all of 5-foot-5, came over from Golden State and
has played a huge role. He's averaging 12.2 points and is second on the team
in assists per game.
Jon Barry, a big reason for the success Sacramento and Detroit had in recent
season, came over from the Pistons in the summer via free agency and has
continued to be a go-to guy off the bench. He's averaging 7.2 points as a
reserve, and doesn't hurt the team in any offensive category. Barry leads
the Nuggets in assist-to-turnover ratio.
And these are just the newcomers.
Returner Nene Helario, now referred to simply as Nene, is 21-years-old and
only in his second season, but the big man is nearly averaging a double-double.
His 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game are a sign of great things to come
for the 6-foot-11 forward/center.
Marcus Camby, now in his eighth season out of UMass, has returned from playing
in just 29 games a season ago and provided an intimidating presence inside
the paint. The injury-proned 6-foot-11 center has been brought along cautiously,
averaging 24.7 minutes per game, but made a big difference from Nuggets teams
of the past. While averaging just 5.6 points, he's done his job inside, taking
down 9.4 rebounds and blocking 2.5 shots per game.
Reserve Chris Andersen has added 2.6 blocks off the bench, and been a perfect
answer when Camby needs to rest.
It would have been hard to foresee only five weeks ago, but the Nuggets have
quietly put together quite a lineup built for the future. This year, the
team is proving that Carmelo isn't the show, rather just a part of it.
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