Anyone who saw Carmelo Anthony disrobe in disgust after a disturbing home loss, tossing his Nuggets jersey in the stands and removing his basketball trunks in an arena hallway, knows this 22-year-old forward needs some serious help.
What’s the answer? Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Less than 24 hours after Anthony threw a fit, not to mention his uniform, when Denver ignored him on the final offensive possession of a two-point loss at home, the Nuggets caught wind Thursday of a whisper that figures to have phones ringing off the hook in the offices of general managers throughout the NBA.
Iverson is back on the trade block, according to a league source, who said the Nuggets are among the teams that have been contacted to measure interest in the 31-year-old point guard.
Here we go again.
The I-love-you, I-love-you-not relationship between Iverson and the Sixers has hit another rocky patch, as a recent dust-up with Philly coach Maurice Cheeks and A.I.’s notorious dislike for practice made headlines.
Denver seriously flirted with the idea of acquiring Iverson at the trade deadline last season, and continued to express interest as the possibility of dealing A.I. was floated again during the summer, only to be disappointed when Sixers president Billy King lost his appetite for moving the toughest little man in league history.
OK. Let’s keep it real, right from the start. Twice already in this calendar year, Denver was unable to convince the Sixers that trading Iverson made sense.
And it might be harder for Denver to put together a knock-their-doors-off package now, especially given the slow return to health of forward Nene, once coveted by Philadelphia but now a source of no small amount of frustration to the Nuggets, antsy to see their $60 million invisible man reappear on the court.
Anthony, however, is a huge Iverson fan, understands the defiant man, and believes in his heart the basketball would be big enough to share by the players currently ranked first and second in league scoring.
“I love playing with A.I.,” said Anthony, teammate to Iverson at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
“I’m comfortable with him, because I come from where he came from.”
Anthony and Iverson love to score, despise losing, and keep it honest in an era in which NBA superstars often hide behind an image created by TV commercials.
“We’ve lost 12 of 14 games and, obviously, something needs to be done,” Iverson told reporters in Chicago, after Philly was trounced Wednesday night by the Bulls. “There needs to be a change. Somehow, something needs to be scrambled up.”
I have a dream, a dream so big that it could fill the Denver arena where the Nuggets currently are having difficulty selling seats.
I dream of putting A.I. and Melo in the same locker room, sitting back and, you know, watching what happens. Sure, there would be fireworks, but also a lot of oohs and ahhs.
Could the Nuggets get a deal done? Despite Nene and two first-round picks in the 2007 NBA draft, it’s questionable if the team has the chips to ante up for the Iverson game, where nobody knows if King would again fold and walk away from the table. But a better question would be: What does Denver have to lose by trying?
Despite the absence of injured forward Kenyon Martin for the season, the Nuggets are a lock to make the playoffs. Most nights, young shooting guard J.R. Smith appears to be a steal by the new management team. But, if Denver is serious about winning it all, something bold needs to be done.
Anthony needs help. No, it has nothing to do with anger management. While you, I and La La Vazquez would probably prefer it if her fiancé kept his pants on until after Melo got behind closed doors, his tantrum proved beyond a doubt that defeat drives Anthony mad.
“If I was on the court laughing, people would be saying something about that,” explained Anthony, insisting he angrily and immodestly undressed after getting beat 98-96 by Atlanta only because he cares so much.
Melo is cool with everything except losing. He needs help.
If Iverson isn’t the answer, then the Nuggets must keep looking for a major trade to take some of the load off Melo.
Why? Even a talent as big as Anthony cannot carry Denver to a championship alone.
Staff writer Mark Kiszla can be reached at 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com.
