That Fellow Carmelo

In case you haven’t noticed, Carmelo Anthony is on a mission this season. I’m not that guy who starts talking about MVP awards and all that nonsense in November, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize that ‘Melo is playing at a higher level than we’ve seen from him since he entered the League in 2003. Scoring at a career-high clip while keeping his teammates involved, Anthony is continuing the type of play that we became accustomed to seeing in last year’s postseason. He contends that after losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, his main focus for the offseason was “getting that gold ball (Larry O’Brien trophy).” Even during most of his interviews during the season, whether pre-game, in-game, or post-game, Anthony references his title aspirations non-stop.

Such is the transformation of a volume scorer to a team leader.

Anthony (actually, I like the name “Carmelo” better than any of his other names, so from now on, he’ll be referred to only as “Carmelo.” Thanks for your understanding) has been able to put the biscuit in the basket ever since his rookie year, but it’s the increase in efficiency, and the ability to pass and rebound that has marked his improvement as a player. This season, Carmelo is averaging 11.7 free throw attempts per game, well over his career average of 7.8. This leads to extra points at the foul line (especially since he’s shooting a career-high 85% from the stripe), which contributes to his career-high in points per game, 30.2. His field goal percentage is actually the lowest it’s been since 2005, but his scoring numbers remain high because of his newfound ability to get to the free-throw line with ease. Instead of settling for jumpers, Carmelo is taking the ball to the hoop with renewed vigor, resulting in a regularity of 30-point games (and often higher).

The “keeping his teammates involved” thing is harder to quantify with stats. You simply have to watch him play and notice how he’ll kick the ball out to an open shooter as he drives to the hoop, or hits a cutter while he’s posted up. His assist numbers have hovered around 3 apg his whole career, and this year is no different. Watching him, however, reveals an effective passer who no longer looks to shoot first, second, and third. He looks to shoot first and second, but pass third. Hey, the guy isn’t paid to distribute the ball; he’s paid to score. But it is more comforting for Nuggets fans to know that he’s much more reluctant to go one-on-three now than he was back in his early days.

Even more impressive is that Carmelo has managed to buoy his team early despite a tough schedule (7 of their first 9 were on the road), roster changes (no Linas Kleiza or Dahntay Jones), and suspensions (Earl “I’m no longer going by J.R.” Smith). That the Nuggets are 6-3 already is a testament to his leadership and production. Remember, even when locking down the two-seed in last year’s Western Conference, the Nuggets were 21-20 on the road; far from great. This year, Denver is 4-3 despite the aforementioned obstacles, which puts them on a similar pace to last year’s record. If they can be as dominant at home this year as they were in 2008-2009 (31-8), they should once again contend for a top spot in the conference. Carmelo has been the leading scorer in 8 of Denver’s 9 games this season, consistency that must be sustained for the Nuggets to reach their goals.

Skeptics will point to the fact that Chauncey Billups’ arrival is what has turned around the Nuggets, not Carmelo’s production. And that’s true…to a point (no pun intended). Billups certainly solidified the point guard position for Denver and gave them a team leader, something that was missing during the Carmelo/Iverson days. However, I would argue that Billups has challenged Carmelo to become a better all-around, more mature player, which we are now seeing from him. That Carmelo decided to answer this challenge and become an elite NBA player is the reason that Denver made The Leap from fun-to-watch-in-the-first-round-but-not-a-threat to wow-these-guys-could-win-the-West. If Carmelo hadn’t made the adjustments necessary to thrive once Billups showed up, Denver would still be fighting for the 6th and 7th spot in the West, as opposed to challenging the Lakers in the conference finals. Fact. Now that we’re getting the cagey, mature, beast-mode Anthony for a full year (especially when he finally seems obsessed with winning a championship), the Nuggets have to be considered dangerous to everyone else in the West…and not in a darkhorse-type way either.

If I’m right and Billups is responsible for the new-and-improved Carmelo Anthony that we’re seeing, let me take it upon myself to thank Mr. Big Shot (a completely undeserved nickname, by the way). Carmelo 2.0 is a treat to watch, and if Chauncey is the reason we’re seeing the Carmelo we’ve always wanted to see, then we owe him one. Kinda like Carmelo does, too.

~~ Lank