Good, Bad, & Ugly: That’s Yesterday For Carmelo Anthony & Denver Nuggets
April 15 08
Good, bad, and ugly. That’s yesterday for the Denver Nuggets, a day they secured the final Western Conference playoff spot and franchise star Carmelo Anthony got arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.
The Good …
Last night, Phoenix beat Golden State 122-116, so Denver is officially in the second-season, locking up eighth in the highly competitive west.
You can knock the Nuggets’ over-the-top swagger. You can clown their notions of defence. You can mock coach George Karl’s hair and wardrobe. And you can laugh at announcers mispronouncing Yakhoub Diawara and Linas Kleiza.
But you can’t deny that Denver deserved a playoff spot. They’re pushing fifty wins, a total which has always guaranteed a post-season birth. And they’re unconventional style will give L.A., New Orleans, or Houston a first round run.
Last season, they lost 4-1 to San Antonio in the first round of The Big Dance. This result is deceptive; Denver was in every game. In fact, with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony leading the charge, the Nuggets nearly stole the first two games in The River City.
Look for the Mile High City to push this year’s first overall seed.
The Bad …
“Carmelo apologizes to his fans, the Denver community, his teammates, and the Nuggets organization for the distraction this is causing them.”
The Ugly …
Apologies, like the one above, are always for ugly incidents. In Anthony’s case, he was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence Monday morning.
After a couple of quiet years off-court ( I don‘t count hooking up with an MTV babe as news), the All-Star is caught in the media crossfire. Remember, ‘stop-snitching’, that’s my boy’s weed, and the sucker punch on Mardy Collins?
Except, Anthony is now 25 years old, not some teenager maturing after college and a tough childhood in Baltimore.
Bottom line, Anthony’s latest indiscretion comes before the playoffs. It compromises his revamped public image and work as co-captain for Team USA. And the organization is once again guilty by association.
Like I said, yesterday was good, bad, and ugly for the Denver Nuggets.
What do you think of yesterday for the Nuggets? Get at us in the comment box below and come back to Oly’s blog for his AM Take. Image courtesy of photographer Falling Shaun.
