No Carmelo, No Problem?

Call me crazy, but over the course of the last three months as I have come to terms with Carmelo’s possible, impending departure, I have come to the conclusion we could be better off without him.

Now just hear me out. Before I go on to the reasons for my logic, Carmelo Anthony was the reason I became a Nuggets fan. He was a revelation when he joined the team and made Denver relevant again. I always liked Carmelo despite some of his ups and downs. I saw him as a somewhat grounded, everyman in the NBA. Someone from the real hood, who had to work and win a championship with Syracuse to get noticed. I liked to imagine, in my wildest dreams, if I were an NBA player my style would be something akin to his. A face up to the basket guy who relished contact on the way to the rim with a killer jumper.

Still, this brings me to the point of this article. There have always been a few things about Melo’s play that leave something to be desired. For instance, he may score a lot, but it tends to be inefficient. Consisting of much one on one play, this philosophy affects the rest of the team and causes the Nuggets to fall into a “me first” offense. Secondly, though he has stepped up his rebounding over the years, he stills lags behind many other small forwards in the league. Thirdly, his defense is still suspect. He improved the most he has last season, but he often was either too lax or too intense. You could tell ten seconds before he was called for the foul that it would be coming. Last but not least, once Carmelo is in scoring mode, you can bet he is not going to defer to another player who might be open when three players collapse to the rim to stop his attempt. Sure he goes to the line more often than almost any player in the league, but sometimes the game calls for discretion. Rewarding teammates encourages good feelings and trust. It also breaks down the defense, so eventually even Carmelo scores more easily.

So, with everything considered, where could this team go and what would its personality look like? I’ll give you one name for all you Nuggets fans to hang your hat on: Ty Lawson. Yes, Chauncey Billups will most likely be the point guard for the Nuggets for the next two or three seasons, but good ol’ Ty is likely to give him a sprint for his money. After watching Lawson in the NBA summer league I was convinced he will be one of the major stories and possibly a most improved player candidate for the 2010-11 season. Slashing and dashing to the rim, setting up teammates for easy buckets, leading fast breaks with ease, and shooting turn around jumpers from beyond the three (whoa!) I saw the future. Without the promise of Lawson, I might be a bit more shook up about the departure of Melo.

Back to Chauncey though, he is still our point guard and a damn good one at that. In case you missed the FIBA World Championships, Chauncey was the floor leader for a team with an MVP in Kevin Durant (p.s. new nickname for Durant: KD the extra-terrestrial). During times of struggle on offense, Chauncey was the only one capable of slowing down the game and reaching the foul line whenever he wanted.
With two outstanding point guards on the Nuggets, it seems it is time for the culture to change. Why play one on one when you have two very capable assist makers waiting to make the game easier for you. Lawson and Nene already have found some chemistry and we know what Chauncey did for the Pistons. If Melo leaves, it would be important for the Nuggets to find a new identity centered around unselfish play.

The biggest concern of Melo’s departure would be the dip in scoring ability. However, I think the Nuggets have already unwittingly addressed this issue. Al Harrington is more than capable of contributing about two thirds of what Melo would have scored and supplies a much grittier defender.

As long as the Nuggets get a couple good pieces and high draft picks for Melo, I think this will prove to be a boon. It is time for a change and if it is made the right way, the Nuggets could become a real team in a diluted Western Conference. Have faith Nuggets fans.