Things just keep getting worse and worse for the Denver Nuggets.
After four straight years of being eliminated in the first round, losing 4-1 each series, the Denver Nuggets were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Playoffs.
After a disappointing career encompassing five straight first-round exits and numerous off-court issues including nightclub scuffles, a charge of marijuana possession, a 15-game suspension and a DUI, Carmelo Anthony still appears to be Denver’s man.
Soon after the trade rumors circulating Carmelo Anthony aroused, Anthony asks for Denver’s commitment and loyalty regarding his future with the Nuggets.
"He's not going to be moved," Calvin Andrews, Anthony’s agent, said in a telephone interview. "It's not happening. We've been given assurances from the owner on down."
After deciding not to trade Anthony, the Denver Nuggets decide to get “better” by trading Marcus Camby, the 2006-07 defensive player of the year, to the Los Angeles Clippers for nothing.
Subsequent to the trade, Denver now has a front-line consisting of Nene, Linas Kleiza, and Kenyon Martin.
While several decent forwards and centers were available at No. 20 in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets traded away their No. 20 overall pick to the Charlotte Bobcats one day prior to the draft.
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Things just keep going downhill for the Nuggets, day after day.
With that in mind, I’m going to make a bold prediction for the 2008-09 NBA season:
I predict that the Denver Nuggets don’t make the playoffs in 2009.
Even with a winning record, which I think the Nuggets can salvage next season, they won’t be able to make the playoffs in the Western Conference.
With proven elite teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets, the Nuggets will have a hard time making it into the playoffs.
Unlike last season, Denver won’t make it to the playoffs easy as the eighth seed. Last season, Denver competed with Golden State, Dallas, and Phoenix for a six, seven, or eight seed in the conference. They ended up with the eighth.
Not only will Denver be competing with the teams mentioned above, but this season, Denver will also be competing with teams such as the Portland Trailblazers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Now, even if the Nuggets make it to the playoffs, would you expect them to win the championship?
Not with Carmelo. He’s led them to five straight first-round exits.
Even if he has averaged 21.1 PPG throughout his playoff career, he has only shot 38.9 percent from the field. And let’s not forget that he has led his team to a 4-20 record throughout the playoffs in the last five years.
So why commit to keep him now when teams like the Detroit Pistons are interested in him?
I can’t tell you the answer to that, because honestly, I have no idea.
It’s just another proof that the Denver Nuggets reached the pinnacle of the franchise's career with Carmelo Anthony when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the 2007 NBA Playoffs.
As long as Carmelo Anthony remains a Nugget, Denver will never reach the second round of the playoffs, if they reach the playoffs ever again.
Carmelo is just another player in the NBA playing for the money. He doesn’t believe in hard work, concentration, or a team effort. He believes in publicity, money, and his statistics.
And with that attitude, it’s safe to say he won’t win a championship.
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about 1 month ago
Good Read, man. Pick of the day!
from about 1 month ago
Hey, thanks bro. I appreciate it.
about 1 month ago
It's a shame too, because he has the talent to be special, but he just doesn't get it.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, he could be great. It seems that sometimes he just doesn't try. We know he can play defense. He just doesn't try his hardest.
about 1 month ago
Good article Hugh. Carmelo is the sterotypical thugish underacheiver that the NBA attracts.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks bro. I appreciate it.
about 1 month ago
Wow, I could gain more insight from my poop. Turribl story
from about 1 month ago
Yes, and saying that Denver's lack of chemistry led to their downfall is ridiculous too. Don't say that my article sucks when yours are worse. I have far more reads and fans than you do. Do you really expect a lot of insight from a website that lets anyone who wants to write an article? Are you serious?
I mainly wrote this article to tell people that Carmelo is not as good as everyone seems to think. I'm just stating what no one else will say.
about 1 month ago
That is nice. The difference between me and you is that I know more about basketball than you do and I follow the Nuggets on a game to game basis. Evident in your "article" was the absence of knowledge and observation.
from about 1 month ago
Hahaha. You're funny. I love reading your comments. You pretend to think that you are so "knowledgeable". Well, I could really care less what you think, because apparently, people like my articles.
You're just an arrogant kid who thinks he's so much more "knowledgeable" than everybody else. I've read all of your articles, and to tell you the truth, I think they're all terrible. You're just sad that all of the teams in Colorado suck.
Who would want to follow the Nuggets on a game to game basis?
Evident in all of your "articles" was the absence of knowledge and observation.
Not all articles are written for insight. I'm simply stating that I don't believe that Denver will make the playoffs next year and that Carmelo is why they've lost the past 5 years in the first-round.
Now if that's not intuitive, then you're clueless bra. You're article about the Nuggets is far worse than mine. Mine has been out for 3 days, and it's already produced more reads than yours has in almost two months.
Oh, nice try changing the subject...
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