Denver Nuggets Blog – Page 50 – NBA Blog

Talk of All-Star has been Melo, lockout

By Jeff Lenchiner

LOS ANGELES, CA — While the main attractions of 2011 NBA All-Star weekend are the on-court festivities, the off-court topics have been the same here as they have in the prior weeks and months of the regular season.

Everyone wants to know where Carmelo Anthony will go. High-up NBA employees with very legitimate connections are as unsure as fans wandering the streets in search of photos with stars and autographs.

The general consensus remains the same: The Nuggets, rather than losing Anthony like the Cavaliers lost LeBron James and the Raptors lost Chris Bosh, are likely to trade him before the February 24 trade deadline. In order, the Nets and Knicks are the favorites.

And then there’s a dreaded lockout looming which could wipe out some or — gasp — all of the next NBA season. Big meetings are going on this weekend between representatives of the owners and players to try to sort out the mess, but things still sound bleak.

Etan Thomas, who is on the Players Union executive board, told InsideHoops.com Friday that the two sides are “goal-posts apart.” No one else I spoke to had anything more positive to say about it.

That’s during All-Star off-time. The good news is, as players are hitting incredible shots and performing in the actual events, it’s safe to say that no one is thinking about all that other stuff and just focused on having a good time. John Wall dished 22 awesome assists Friday night in the Rookie Challenge, and as fans flew to their feet cheering the great plays, only excitement and appreciation for the spectacle was in mind.

Share your thoughts on the InsideHoops basketball forums.

J.R. Smith fined for foul on Raja Bell

J.R. Smith of the Denver Nuggets has been fined $25,000 for his Flagrant Foul, Penalty Two against Raja Bell of the Utah Jazz, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 6:45 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 113-106 loss to the Utah Jazz at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO on February 4.

InsideHoops.com says: Smith acted like a punk and deserved the fine.

Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets visit Newark and get rocked by Nets

Monday night in Newark, New Jersey, Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets visited a team that lately has stepped up to show some pride. Despite 37 from Melo, the Nets were hot from the start and came away with a 115-99 win.

New Jersey led by 10 after the first quarter and 13 at halftime. The Nuggets stepped up in the third, but the Nets controlled the fourth for a satisfying win.

Shooting 53.2 percent from the field, winning the rebounding battle 38-27 and the assists category 30-20, the Nets were led by Brook Lopez, who shot 11-of-18 for 27 points (but just four rebounds). Travis Outlaw was on fire in the first half and finished the game with 21. Anthony Morrow was a perfect 6-of-6 off the bench for 18 points. Reserve Kris Humphries scored 15. And starting point guard Devin Harris only scored nine but dished an amazing 18 assists.

The Nuggets got 37 points (12-of-22) from Carmelo Anthony, but he didn’t receive enough help. Chauncey Billups scored 17 but had more turnovers (7) than assists (5). Nene scored 16 but only grabbed three rebounds. Off the bench, J.R. Smith scored 10.

The real story of this game, though, wasn’t the game. It was Carmelo Anthony seemingly no longer being a possibility for the Nets in trade. His quotes after the game were pretty safe; Melo will not say that he’s leaving the Nuggets. Nor that he’d reject the Nets extension desire should they trade for him. He basically made it clear that his future is wide open and still being decided. Melo did want everyone to know that he does consider Denver one of his homes, and he’s perfectly happy there.

But those in the know still consider the Knicks as the most likely destination for Anthony, likely as a free agent this summer, if not in trade before the February deadline.

The Nets can be proud of their win yesterday. And with Melo out of town, it’ll be easier to focus on the actual players on the team, rather than what the roster may someday look like.

Melo hits six threes, drops 36 on Pacers

The Indiana Pacers today learned the hard way that Carmelo Anthony is still on the Denver Nuggets.

The AP reports:

Carmelo Anthony gave the home crowd nothing to boo about Sunday night, scoring 36 points in the Denver Nuggets’ 121-107 victory over the Indiana Pacers, who lost their fifth straight.

Anthony had been subjected to jeers by the home crowd as trade talk intensified last week, but on this night, the Denver fans showed him plenty of love, especially when he was raining 3s from all over the court as he put on a spectacular 23-point show in the third quarter.

Anthony’s career-best six 3-pointers all came in the third period as the Nuggets turned a close game into a laugher—a reversal of their game in November when the Pacers made their first 20 shots of the third quarter and rolled to a 144-113 win in Indianapolis.

Anthony’s previous high was five 3-pointers back in 2003, his rookie season.

Nene added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who led by 25 and improved to 20-5 at the Pepsi Center, where they haven’t lost consecutive games all season. Tyler Hansbrough had 27 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, which trailed 59-51 at halftime.

The Nuggets are still likely to send Melo, who has still refused to sign Denver’s contract extension offer, to another team before February’s trade deadline.

Nuggets arena stores selling Carmelo Anthony jerseys at half price

You may have heard a Carmelo Anthony trade rumor or two over the last few months. The story has been ongoing seemingly forever, and it may reach its expected conclusion in the very near future.

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post reports:

Apr. 25, 2010 - Salt Lake City, UTAH, USA - epa02131979 Denver Nugget's Carmelo Anthony drives to the basket during a game against the Utah Jazz in the first half of their Western Conference first round playoff game at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, 25 April 2010.

The explanation given at the Pepsi Center gift shops was “an excess of inventory,” but it was a harbinger if there ever was one — Carmelo Anthony jerseys, 50 percent off.

It’s quite possible that Melo played his last game at the Pepsi Center on Saturday night. No, Anthony has not officially said he would agree to a trade to New Jersey. But all this could happen within the week; Denver plays at San Antonio tonight and then comes back home Wednesday.

The plan remains for the Nuggets to cook up the deal, likely to the Nets, and present it to Anthony, who Saturday spoke about the Nuggets . . . and his future elsewhere.

Asked Saturday what it would take for him to sign a three-year extension, with any team, Melo said: “I got to feel like I have a chance of reaching my ultimate goal of a championship. Going to a bigger market is cool, but if I feel like I have a chance of winning a championship here in Denver in the next five years, then I’d sign the extension.”

The Nuggets aren’t headed for a championship. Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin are on their way down, not up. Nene and J.R. Smith are pretty good, and then there’s Melo and some supporting parts. All signs point to Melo being traded in the coming days or weeks.

Have an opinion? Share it with other fans in this forum topic.

Carmelo Anthony returning to action for Nuggets Thursday

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is scheduled to return to the team Thursday after spending time grieving his sister Michelle’s death.

Michelle passed away last week due to a pre-existing medical condition, and Anthony left the Nuggets immediately to be with his family in Baltimore.

Anthony said he appreciates the outpouring of love and support from his Denver family during this time. He is looking forward to returning to the team and working with his teammates.

Carmelo Anthony back after Christmas; out due to death of sister

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is expected to return to the team after Christmas following the death of his sister.

Michelle Anthony died of a pre-existing medical condition Tuesday in Baltimore; she is survived by her four children. Carmelo Anthony left the Nuggets on Wednesday to be with his family as they make funeral arrangements.

Anthony and his family ask that their privacy be respected as they grieve.

The Nuggets played at San Antonio on Wednesday.

Carmelo Anthony out tonight due to death in family

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony has been excused from Wednesday night’s game in San Antonio due to a death in his family.

“Our entire organization supports Carmelo during this difficult time for him and his family,” Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri said. “It is heartbreaking news, particularly during the holiday season.”

Anthony would like to thank Nuggets fans for their thoughts and prayers and asks that they and the media respect his privacy during this time.

NBA fines George Karl and Andre Miller

Denver Nuggets coach George Karl and Portland Trail Blazers guard Andre Miller have both been fined for separate incidents, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

Karl has been fined $25,000 for public comments about the officiating following the Nuggets’ 113-112 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 16.

Miller has also been fined $25,000 for throwing the ball in the stands following the Blazers’ 103-98 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 15.

Allen Iverson scores two points in Turkish league debut

By Ibrahim Kocyigit

Former NBA player Allen Iverson waves to his fans before signing a contract with Besiktas, his new Turkish basketball team in Istanbul November 9, 2010. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

ISTANBUL (Nov. 21) – It was not the first time Allen Iverson stepped into Besiktas Akatlar Arena, but it was the first time he saw the hall exceed its capacity. The Besiktas Cola Turka game against visiting Fenerbahce Ulker, defending champions in Turkish Basketball League was extremely important for the fans, since the opponent was the biggest rival of the club. After scoring 15 points on Tuesday against Hemofarm in Eurocup, Iverson disappointed his 3,500 fans in his Turkish league debut on Sunday by only scoring two points. More frustratingly for the fans, Besiktas, also known as Black Eagles, lost the game 74-67.

Looking physically unfit to be of much help, Iverson had an hard time against Omer Onan, the shooting guard of Fenerbahce who won silver in 2010 FIBA World Championship with the Turkish National Team. ‘The answer’ sat on the bench for the entire second and fourth periods, and he scored his only two points in the third, while Onan was not on the court. Aside from hitting only one of his six shot attempts in 19 minutes, Iverson had four rebounds and two turnovers.

These statistics were not bad enough to stop Besiktas fans from cheering for Iverson the whole game. But it’s not hard to guess that this reaction will change if the results stay the same. There is a possibility that the expectations are not as low as assumed.

“Iverson is one of the legends of basketball. I assume he’s not training regularly since more than one year. That’s why we need to be patient,” said one of Besiktas fans during halftime. But when his expectations for the whole season were asked, he didn’t seem that modest: “He should star by his own and be a team player at the same time. But the most important thing is that he should make us champions.”

Besiktas coach Burak Biyiktay sounded like he is not sure what to do with an unfit NBA star. “The expectations are so high regarding Iverson. But he’s unfit and unready. On the other hand we all want to see him play for a long time. So it’s a problem whether he plays or not,” said Besiktas’s low-profile coach in his post-game interview. “Today, he played almost 20 minutes, but did no help to the team. Allen Iverson is not the Allen Iverson that we know. He needs time.”

The Black Eagles lost both games with AI, and in Turkey even three defeats in a row can trigger a crisis. “Iverson may cause the coach to get fired in a month” said Onur Erdem, a reporter for NTV Spor, one of the most respected sport channels in Turkey. “Fans’ expectations are getting higher every day and Biyiktay, under the pressure of the fans, is letting Iverson play although he is not ready. In fact everybody is well aware that this roster can’t win the league. But with Iverson involved, people may start to think that the roster needs a high-profile coach. The situation is similar to Miami Heat, where people started to think that Erik Spoelstra won’t be able to handle a roster involving LeBron, Bosh and Wade.”

‘The answer’ has a two-year contract with Besiktas. But he is be able to leave the club next summer if he gets an offer from the NBA. He needs to start playing regularly soon and put up good statistics to be able to get the attention of NBA teams. But it seems that he needs to be patient and get into shape, quickly. As long as he’s physically unfit, it’s tough for him to be of much help.

How can this paradox be solved, that’s the question that Besiktas needs to find the answer.