Pivot Points: Carmelo Anthony for MVP?

The worst misfortune in Carmelo Anthony's young career may be the fact that he was drafted in the same year as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

While James and Wade found their names brought up in every conversation about the MVP, Anthony has become almost an afterthought, until this year.

In reality, it's almost like a tragedy of Shakespearean consequence due to the fact that Anthony was just as heralded as James and Wade when he made his NBA debut, yet has fell behind them in in the sphere of player influence.

Remember, it was Anthony, not Wade that led his Syracuse team to an improbable NCAA championship in his freshman year, and it was Anthony not Wade who was considered the cream of the crop in the draft that year along with James.

It's not like Anthony has been unable to live up to his lofty expectations, as he has been a league star ever since he stepped foot on NBA hardwood, but the trajectory of his path has been different than James or Wade.

Early in his career Carmelo was victim to back spasms that limited his play and threatened to derail a very promising start. After conquering the physical demons, Anthony fell prey to an animal of a different sort.

Anthony was raised in the concrete jungles of inner-city Baltimore and for him, it was difficult to escape the trappings of the ghetto.

He was the type of guy who believed in keeping the friends of his past, and he failed to realize that after you reach a certain status that can be a dangerous proposition.

It wasn't like his friends were similarly inspired in their desire to abandon the cruel cycle of poverty, they were more inclined to continue their unlawful ways with Anthony serving as their window to the world.

Carmelo allowed himself to be video-taped with known felons and drug dealers and the public's perception of him took an immediate turn. It was a story that we knew all to well and it seemed Anthony was destined to relive it.

While this was going on, Wade was winning his first NBA championship and James was amazingly surpassing the unreal expectations that had been thrust upon him.

Anthony was a player in flux, unable to concentrate on his game, while trying to distance himself from the weight of ill-advised friendships.

He was eventually able to put that part of his life behind him, but then was faced with sharing stardom with the player formerly known as Allen Iverson. To say their relationship was strained would be an understatement.

On the surface the pairing seemed to work as he and Iverson became the highest scoring duo in the NBA, but it was clear that the marriage wouldn't work.

Anthony found himself feuding with his coach and the rest of the league waited for the implosion that was sure to come. We weren't disappointed, as the Denver Nuggets became the first 50 win team to get swept out of the playoffs in the first round.

The next chain of events are what changed Anthony's career and allowed him to begin to fulfill his large promise. The Nuggets got rid of Iverson, and brought in Chauncey Billups and everything changed.

Billups changed the culture of the Nuggets and inspired Anthony to begin a run of the best basketball played in his life. His game broadened and his attitude changed along with it.

The last two years have seen Anthony become more versatile on both ends of the court. He no longer settles for jump shots and has begin to trust his footwork and his post game,

The difference in his defense is evident to as Billups has encouraged him to be more aggressive in his stance and to show more trust in his teammates.

The biggest thing is that he seems to be enjoying the game more as evidenced by the smile that is now present on his face the majority of the time.

While he has always been among the top players in the league, Anthony has taken the steps to cement his game among the elite. Few are playing better than him now and his impact on the Nuggets has them in the upper-echelon of the NBA.

If he can continue on the path that he has begun, maybe he can finally erase the memories of his past and maybe we can finally place him in the discussion that he deserves to be in most, as one of the prime candidates for MVP.