Houston – Western Conference all-star Pau Gasol felt fine after all, so there was no need for Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony to cut short his mini-vacation in Las Vegas.
Gasol, of the Memphis Grizzlies, missed the West team’s practice Saturday, nursing a sore throat and ear infection. Sunday morning, there was speculation the Grizzlies’ first all-star player would not be well enough to play in the All-Star Game. But he did suit up Sunday night. Anthony likely would have been the front-runner to take Gasol’s place, although it would have been difficult to make it happen.
“If this was two days ago, I would have been excited and calling the league,” Anthony’s agent, Calvin Andrews, said Sunday. “We would have been excited and have my man here. But (Sunday)? No. He’s in Vegas. Logistically, it wouldn’t work. It would be a nightmare for them to even put him in anything.”
Nuggets center Marcus Camby also was a West all-star candidate and his representative said he was vacationing too far away to be a potential replacement. The Nuggets return to practice in Denver tonight.
“I was concerned for him and Marcus,” Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said of how they took not being named all-stars. “Both said their main concern is that the team wins.”
McDyess still most recent
The Nuggets’ most recent all-star was Antonio McDyess in 2001. Since 1992, the only Nuggets who have been all-stars are McDyess and Dikembe Mutombo (1992, 1995, 1996).
“It’s just now up and coming,” Mc- Dyess said of Denver. “(The Nuggets) have been on the downside for a while before getting to where they are now. They will have opportunities. Not only Carmelo, but a lot of other players on that team will have opportunities.”
Trade deadline on horizon
With the NBA trade deadline looming Thursday, Vandeweghe met with several general managers over the weekend. The Nuggets have had numerous trade discussions of late, but nothing was imminent Sunday.
“In Houston you make contact,” Vandeweghe said. “It’s good to sit face to face with somebody. I had several meetings with several general managers. Lot of different meetings.”
While Vandeweghe declined to comment, talks seem to have cooled on a potential trade that would send guards Earl Watson and Voshon Lenard to the Sacramento Kings for guard Bonzi Wells.
There still is some life to an often- talked-about, three-way trade that would send Orlando guard Steve Francis to Denver, Watson to New York and injured Nuggets forward-center Nene to Orlando. Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin isn’t expected to be part of that or any other potential deal before the trade deadline.
So will the Nuggets make a trade?
“It’s always hard to say,” Vande- weghe said. “The action just builds up. But then again, you can never tell if anything will happen. There is a lot of talk. Who can say? This time of the year is the same thing every single year.”
Footnotes
Detroit Pistons all-star guard Chauncey Billups, a Denver native, said he isn’t planning to play for the Americans’ world championship team this offseason because his wife is pregnant. He did say he plans to take part in the U.S. team’s training camp in Las Vegas in July. … Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, who has been part of numerous trade rumors, including one with the Nuggets, on the approaching trade deadline: “I don’t really worry about it. I thought it already passed.” … Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O’Neal said he was wrongly accused of being part of the reason Ron Artest was traded to Sacramento and said the two recently talked on the phone.
