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Scorecard: Nuggets winning Carmelo Anthony trade
Wednesday, June 24th 2026

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Scorecard: Nuggets winning Carmelo Anthony trade

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FILE -- The New York Knick's Carmelo Anthony, right, and Amar'e Stoudemire sit on the bench during an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden in New York, on March 13, 2011. The Knicks are 6-5 since acquiring Carmelo Anthony, but the team he left, the Denver Nuggets, has thrived, winning seven of its first nine games.
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Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post
By | psaunders@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Getting your player ready...

It’s been three weeks since Carmelo Anthony took his prolific scoring skills, laissez-faire defense and me-first attitude to the Big Apple.

Let’s take a look at the scorecard since the trade:

  •  Nuggets’ record: 8-2

  •  Knicks’ record: 6-5

  •   Nuggets quote: “I just think there’s more enthusiasm, more energy, more things strategically.” — Coach George Karl after the Nuggets beat the Hornets 114-103 at New Orleans Monday night.

  •  Knicks quote: “It was a horror show … We just didn’t play well. I don’t think we had the right energy and we got frustrated and when we do that we just kind of revert back to just trying to beat people up on the offensive end.” — Coach Mike D’Antoni after watching film of the Knicks’ 106-93 loss, at The Garden, to the lowly Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.

  •  Melo’s numbers: Anthony has been, predictably, a scorer, averaging 25.5 points per game since the trade. But he’s also been erratic. He’s converted 50 percent or more of his shots in just three games. He is shooting 47.2 percent in the Knicks’ victories and 41.4 percent in the losses. He’s averaged 4.2 assists per game in the Knicks six victories as opposed to just 2.4 assists in the five losses. On Sunday, he had zero assists.

  •  New York review: “In losing to the Indiana Pacers Sunday night, the Knicks displayed all of their worst habits and gave substance to every quiet fear about the Carmelo Anthony-Amar’e Stoudemire offensive pairing.

    “They were bull-headed and reckless, forcing bad shots instead of passing, barging into clogged lanes and generally turning D’Antoni’s fluid offense into a stagnant mess of one-on-one plays.”

    —

  •  My verdict: It’s early, but I think the Nuggets are a better team — the operative word being “team” — than the Knicks right now. And the Nuggets have a better chance of advancing in the playoffs. Plus, it’s simply more enjoyable watching the Nuggets now that Melo is gone.

    Trivia time

    When was the last time the Knicks won an NBA title? (Answer below)

    Quotable

    “Everybody is playing together. We got eight guys in double figures (in Saturday’s 131-101 win over Detroit). I think we can count on one hand how many times that happened before the trade.”

    — Nuggets guard JR Smith to

    Reader’s rant

    “I was worried about losing Melo and Chauncey but WOW am I pleased. This team plays real ball now and the men brought over from New York have been outstanding. The Nuggets already here have been reborn.”

    — Mike70, posting on The Denver Post story on the Nuggets’ victory at New Orleans.

    In case you missed it

    For a price, NBA fans can own a piece of the Celtics’ dynasty.

    Championship rings, humidors and other items once owned by Arnold “Red” Auerbach are going on the auction block.

    SCP Auctions of Laguna Niguel, Calif. is putting about 500 mementos up in three onling auctions in April.

    Why sell off pieces that belonged to one of the most important figures in NBA history? SCP’s Dan Imler told the Boston Herald that Auerbach’s family wants to make the items available to fans rather than keeping them in storage. The auctions are expected to net about $500,000.

    Some of the items up for bid: Auerbach’s championship rings from 1962, 1974, 1976 and 1981; his 1957 Celtics satin jacket; and his 1,000th career win trophy.

    Auerbach, who died at 89 in 2006, led the team to nine championships as a coach and seven as an executive.

    Trivia answer

    The Knicks won their last NBA championship in 1973, beating the Lakers in five games.

    Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com

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