The adjectives tell all. Carmelo Anthony’s soaring stat line says less about the changes in his game than the people around him do.
Replace “immature” with “professional.” He handles double-teams, earns a ton of free throws and forces woebegone outside shots less and less frequently. Even in last week’s loss to Philadelphia, coach George Karl knew Anthony had taken a huge step when he kicked to an open Earl Watson instead of chucking up a would-be game- winner.
Replace “moody” with “curious.” He now ranks among the last Nuggets to leave the practice court, often talking shop for 30 minutes with assistant/guru Tim Grgurich over a mini-DVD player with game footage.
Replace “inconsistent” with “reliable.” Anthony has cracked 20 points in 16 straight games and 30 points seven times, same as all of last season.
“When I first got here we put together a two-year plan on Melo on where we wanted him to be,” Karl said. “He’s getting it done in about a year. He enjoys talking basketball more than he ever has.”
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich throws a few more adjectives Anthony’s way.
“He’s become more ferocious,” he said. “I think he is a lot more purposeful in the game, more aware of who is guarding him. ‘I’m going to post this guy up. I’m going to drive this guy. They are giving me the jump shot tonight, I’m going to take those.’ Not making his mind up ahead of time and realizing in some ways his game really starts inside-out. He is a force down low. The more he does well down there the more it opens up things up for him and for teammates.”
Anthony credits his maturation to letting outside critics fire him up while better heeding his coaches’ criticism, an improved work ethic that includes early-evening shooting sessions with Grgurich and a desire to make this year’s All-Star Game. With Elton Brand and Pau Gasol competing to join usual suspects Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Tracy McGrady, reaching the game in Houston could be tough, especially on a sub-.500 team like Denver.
Whether that happens, Anthony thinks beyond the spring to next summer, how he can tighten up his defense, rebounding, passing and conditioning.
“I’m going to take a look at what I did good and what I didn’t do good and work on both,” he said.
A bad call might still bother Anthony, but rarely does he slog behind the play pouting anymore. That comes in part from Grgurich, who advised him to stay calm and cool during games.
But as invaluable as Grgurich has proved, Anthony’s rise to ninth in the NBA with a 24.7-point average could not have happened without his understanding with Karl. The coach said he saw the light bulb over the small forward’s head stay on thanks to a 45-minute chat they had in a New Orleans hotel room after Karl benched him at the end of a win at Memphis in February.
They had not talked seriously to that point. Now they talk regularly.
“I need him and he needs me,” Anthony said. “We’ve got to make it work. If it don’t work for us, it’s not going to work on the court. Ever since then it’s started clicking.”
Karl still sees Anthony forcing things. His 100 turnovers rank fifth in the league. While impressed, forward Eduardo Najera predicted Anthony will improve further when he regularly dominates fourth quarters.
“He’s really good at doing that early in the game,” Najera said. “Now he’s got to finish up strong. He does that, he’s going to be a great player.”
But the tangible improvements are everywhere, most noticeably at the foul line, where Anthony averaged seven free throws a game his first two seasons. Now he averages 9.1, with his 291 foul shots ranking fourth in the league. That means he earns his points the hard way, through contact, while forcing opponents into foul trouble.
The change could be the normal progression of a young adult. It could be the absence of off-court distractions that marred his sophomore season. It could be the start of a larger uptick on his charts.
“I’m not through yet,” he said. “I can say that. I’m getting there. I’m not far.”
Staff writer Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
