Lakewood – With hundreds of kids swarming the courts at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse, it would have been easy to miss J.R. Smith.
But there he was Tuesday, trotting up and down the courts, whistle tucked into his mouth and a close eye on the second day of action at Camp Melo, the third annual installment of Carmelo Anthony’s basketball camp in Denver.
It is the second time the Nuggets guard has participated in an Anthony-sponsored event since a June 11 car accident in New Jersey that resulted in the death of his friend Andre Bell. Smith was behind the wheel at the time of the accident. He joined Allen Iverson at Anthony’s charity 3-on-3 tournament in Baltimore on June 23.
Smith declined to comment on the accident Tuesday, limiting all questions to camp-related issues. But Anthony was pleased to see his friend out on the court.
“I just called him one day and said, ‘Look, I need you at my camp,”‘ Anthony said. ” ‘I just need the kids to see you, to let them know you’re in good spirits.’ ”
Smith seemed to have a spring in his step, sending the campers into a frenzy by joining an end-of-the-day drill and throwing down a few dunks.
“It’s fun, just watching the faces they make when I dunk the ball or call a foul on them, because they look up to me,” Smith said.
Anthony said he has tried to support Smith since the accident, and has been pleased that the organization has stood behind him.
“It was heartbreaking,” Anthony said. “I just wanted to be there for him.”
Melo working out
Anthony took about a month off after the season ended, then hit the gym to prepare for international play with Team USA. In the past, Anthony has taken a couple of weeks off. But even at 23, four years in the NBA begins to take its toll.
“My body wasn’t responding right,” Anthony said. “Taking all that beating, your body needs a rest.”
Anthony will join the USA Basketball team in Las Vegas on July 20-22 for a minicamp that will determine the final roster for the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament Aug. 22-Sept. 2.
Last year’s team finished with a bronze medal at the world championships. Anthony led the team in scoring (19.9). The 2007 edition is expected to include Kobe Bryant, the NBA’s leading scorer last season at 31.6 points per game.
On paper, that could mean a more limited role for Anthony.
“We’ve all got the same goal. We’re all trying to win the gold medal,” Anthony said.
And Team USA can always move Anthony to forward, trotting out a lineup that includes Melo, Bryant and LeBron James.
“I played a little bit of power forward last year,” Anthony said. “The team that we have, it doesn’t really matter what position you play.”
Staff writer Joel A. Erickson can be reached at 303-954-1033 or jerickson@denverpost.com
