Carmelo Anthony had an “offense go, defense no” reputation his first three NBA seasons. Now the Nuggets forward says he will prove he is a “go” on both ends of the court.
“I don’t play defense. That’s the only thing I (ever) heard,” Anthony said. “Now, I am hearing I do play defense. So I guess people just wanted to see me do it. This summer really helped, and it really showed I can get out there and defend.”
Since the day Anthony arrived in Denver from Syracuse, he has been known for his offense. The 2003 NBA draft’s third overall pick has led the Nuggets in scoring each of his three seasons and averaged a career-high 26.5 points last season.
The most criticized part of Anthony’s game is his defense. The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder has averaged 3.2 defensive rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.4 blocked shots and 2.9 fouls per game. Some critics believe he is a poor “help” defender, could be a stronger rebounder and never looks to take a charge.
“He played zone in college for a year, and no one has put emphasis on it,” teammate Kenyon Martin said. “He’s a pretty good one-on-one defender. It’s just getting Melo to help sometimes is a problem. But if you put a man in front of Melo and tell him to guard him, Melo will guard him.”
Anthony began working on his defensive reputation while playing for USA Basketball this summer at the World Championships in Japan.
The New York native picked up defensively at half court, aided on pick-and-rolls, rebounded solidly and played respectable help defense in the 40-minute contests. He and teammate Chris Paul tied for a USA-best 17 steals.
“That’s when I first saw him put pressure on and deny, be active,” Nuggets coach George Karl said of Anthony’s USA play. “When he played (power forward) on the USA team, he was a very good rebounder. He had more of a demand there. He demanded himself being more involved.”
Anthony plans to make sure his defensive play transfers to the NBA. In Saturday’s 121-115 preseason loss to Golden State, he scored 25 points and hit two 3-pointers but also had five defensive rebounds and a steal in 27 minutes.
“It’s just part of motivation to want to do it, pride,” he said. “Self-pride, not wanting your man to have big buckets or stopping him from having a big game. I didn’t focus in as much as I should have.
“Now, I am focusing in a lot more on defending my man and help-side defense. I think my teammates saw that. George saw that, also.”
Johnson sealed up
The Nuggets announced the signing of guard DerMarr Johnson on Sunday, which pushes the roster to a maximum 15 guaranteed contracts and three non-guaranteed roster players. Johnson said late Saturday night he signed a one-year, guaranteed contract worth close to $900,000 that morning. He plans to practice today.
“I’ve been waiting,” Johnson said. “It’s been real tough. I’ve been working out the whole summer. The last thing I wanted to do was worry about the contract.”
Johnson will be competing with J.R. Smith, rookie Yakhouba Diawara and possibly Linas Kleiza for the starting shooting-guard job.
“Everyone can contribute,” Johnson said of the shooting-guard position. “J.R. is my boy. He’s a talented player and he can contribute. Yakhouba can contribute. All of us can contribute.”
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-954-1098 or mspears@denverpost.com.
