Nuggets News

"A week after being swept out of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nuggets have gotten blanked again. The NBA on Thursday announced its All-NBA teams, and no Nuggets player made any of the three teams. Three Nuggets did receive the most votes at their positions among those who didn't make the teams."

"Depsite having two players among the league's leading scorers through most of the season, the Denver Nuggets were shut out of voting for the All-NBA team Thursday. Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson did not land on the list of the NBA's 15 best players, split among three teams, based on voting of writers and broadcasters. "

"The math does not compute for the Nuggets. Somebody has to go. Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby are the team's big three. But they proved to be a big zero in the NBA playoffs. Convinced they must make a significant change to compete for a championship, it's no secret the Nuggets will actively pursue trade options. What's more significant, according to a source familiar with the team, is nobody on the Denver roster has been deemed absolutely untouchable. The Nuggets want to make a deal. "

"All right, so it's too little too late, but here goes anyway: CP3 for MVP! Chris Paul didn't win the NBA's MVP award, but, as these playoffs have proven, he should have. Nothing against Kobe Bryant, your basic player for the ages, but he hasn't had the kind of season Paul has. Bryant, thanks in part to the acquisition of Pao Gasol, has put the Lakers in position to win the West and perhaps the NBA championship. Paul? He has changed the culture in New Orleans, transforming a have-not franchise into a legitimate contender. Along the way, he has revitalized a city and impacted careers across the league. "

"Woody - Why will George Karl not coach this Nuggets team? He just sits there chomping cough drops and failing to feign even mild interest in the game. He allows his team to be undisciplined on defense, statuesque on offense, and he will not stand up to the refs for his team. Why, Woody? Why? -- Jamie Hosmer, Denver Because, Jamie, because. I have known George since he was a kid, and he always was an unbridled player and coach. I believe, truthfully, that his bout with cancer, and his son's, and the fact that he is older have made George less of a proactive coach during games. IT'S A MISTAKE. He needs to be the wilder George Karl that he was. "

"Rumblings soon might start about whether Mike Dunlap eventually could succeed Lute Olson as coach at the University of Arizona. Olson would like to head them off at the pass. "We're getting way ahead of ourselves," Olson, 73, told the Rocky Mountain News on Tuesday about whether Dunlap, a Nuggets assistant the past two seasons, could be his successor. Olson said the ball is in Dunlap's court whether he'll become Arizona's associate head coach. Barring the unforeseen, he will."

"From where Kobe Bryant was to where he is now must be an object lesson to Carmelo Anthony. None of Anthony's mishaps with the law or with society, nor any of Allen Iverson's come to that, can compare to Bryant, now the Most Valuable Player in basketball. From accused rapist and selfish pinhead to model citizen and all-around team inspiration, that is Bryant. And that could be Anthony, needing only to step over hurdles that Bryant needed to leap."

"Nuggets assistant coach Mike Dunlap is likely headed to Lute Olson's staff at Arizona as associate head coach. "My arrow is pointed in that direction," Dunlap said, confirming the offer and his interest Tuesday. He said he has yet to sign a contract. "I've covered it with Coach (George Karl) and they know what's on the table," Dunlap said. "It's just a matter of going into Arizona and seeing Coach (Olson) one last time to complete everything." "

"Nuggets all-star forward Carmelo Anthony was ticketed for speeding last weekend, Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson confirmed Tuesday. Jackson said Anthony was driving 60 mph in a 45 mph zone Saturday at 4:13 p.m. in the 2400 block of South Santa Fe Drive. Anthony will not have to appear in traffic court, Jackson said, and his ticket is payable through the mail. "

"Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap says he is a "dark horse" for the Chicago Bulls coaching job, but indications are he's a strong candidate for an associate coaching position at the University of Arizona under Lute Olson. Dunlap confirmed Monday he has interviewed for both jobs. Asked if Arizona has made an offer, he said, "No comment.""

"Nuggets assistant coach Mike Dunlap has interviewed for the Chicago Bulls' head coaching vacancy. "I guess the 'fit' part of it is — they're a really young team, and I have a lot of experience with that," Dunlap said. "That was a curiosity of them with me." ...Members of the Bulls' brass, including general manager John Paxson, met with Dunlap in Denver. "I understand there's a process," Dunlap said of the Bulls' coaching search. "But it was a good meeting." "

"Another team, another game, another double-digit win and the Lakers are on their way. That might be how it looks through a pretty purple-and-gold prism, but not so fast there, Skippy. The Utah Jazz is not the Denver Nuggets. The rested Lakers took advantage of the television-driven schedule Sunday, running early and getting a nice lead on Utah, which just finished its draining series with Houston on Friday night. But the Jazz already has proven it's a team with much more fight than Denver, clawing back from a 19-point, third-quarter deficit to get within four of the Lakers in the final five minutes. "

"If Karl had been tougher, would the Nuggets have won at least one playoff game? So, what? Would they have finished higher, as they should have, and found a more agreeable first-round opponent, though which team that would be is also beside the point? And, now, with no players to contradict his intentions, Karl can say whatever he wants, offering the ideal scenario, a talented group under firm direction, playing together, pulling one for all, completely unselfish and not likely to say, among other things, that the coach himself quit on his team."

"Even if the Nuggets want to blow up the team, there might not be enough dynamite in Denver. Nuggets brass soon will hold meetings to discuss next season, and coach George Karl said everything will be brought up "from one end to the other end." In reality, the Nuggets are in a tough spot as they pick up the pieces from their ugly first-round playoff sweep by the Los Angeles Lakers. They're an aging team with a bloated payroll and possess some very difficult players to trade."

"When arrested April 14, Carmelo Anthony's blood-alcohol level was .148, close to twice the legal limit, a source confirmed. The Nuggets forward, who was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, was scheduled for an arraignment hearing May 14, but it has been postponed for June 5 at 10 a.m. at the Denver County courthouse. "

"Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony's blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit for driving under the influence when Denver police arrested him earlier this month, a CBS4 investigation found. CBS4's Brian Maass reported that Anthony's blood alcohol level registered .148, according to multiple sources familiar with the results of Anthony's blood test. The legal limit for DUI in Colorado is .08. Denver police arrested Anthony on April 14 after seeing his car swerving as it traveled southbound on Interstate 25."

"Nuggets coach George Karl has a crazy little thing called love. He'd just like it to be a bit less crazy. "The players drive me crazy, but they also are loved by me," Karl said. There's now going to be more tough love. Karl said Wednesday he expects to return next season, and he plans to be more of a disciplinarian. His comments came two days after the Nuggets were swept out of the playoffs by the Lakers, Denver's fifth straight first-round exit, four with Karl."

"A blood test for Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony revealed Anthony's blood-alcohol content was above the legal limit when arrested April 14, his lawyer confirmed. "We received notice that Carmelo's blood test came back over the legal limit," attorney Dan Recht said. "This is old news in that Carmelo has admitted from the beginning that he had been drinking and driving and he should not have been." Anthony, Denver's all-star forward, has a court date set for May 14 for the charges of driving under the influence. "

"With a simple "Yeah," coach George Karl confirmed Wednesday that he will return to the Nuggets' bench next season. Karl already had the faith of the Nuggets' brass — and the strength of his contract — so Karl's reassurance of his own commitment was the final part of the equation. Karl has two years and $6 million left on his contract with Denver, but he often talked about the frustrations of coaching a team with such strong personalities. Speaking publicly for the first time since Monday's Game 4 loss to the Lakers, Karl was asked if he would return for sure. "Yeah," he said."

"Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks always has been one to keep a playful running dialogue going with the opposing fans behind the bench at road games. So it was not unexpected when it continued Tuesday at the Palace of Auburn Hills as the Pistons took a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series. To the fan who cheerfully speculated that the Sixers would be done in six, Cheeks replied: "We will see you back here on Saturday." Cheeks laughed yesterday as he recounted that prediction at the end of practice. "What did you want me to say?" he said. " 'See you next year?' ""

"Allen Iverson's camp has formulated some strategy. But will The Answer get the answer he wants? Gary Moore, personal manager for the Nuggets guard, said Iverson is looking into doing something similar to what New Jersey's Vince Carter did last summer."

"On Tuesday, a day Nuggets coach George Karl chose not to talk to the media following his team's playoff elimination, the Nuggets were already speaking about him. In defense. Reflecting on the season, Allen Iverson and Kenyon Martin said the Nuggets' shaky regular season and playoff demise didn't reflect on Karl's ability to coach or get through to his players. "

"Throughout the season, A.I. and his personal manager, Gary Moore, have said that opting out and re-signing a long-term contract with Denver is enticing. If he opts out to sign with a different team, it would be risky, because A.I. has a little over $20 million guaranteed for next season in Denver."

"All that said, the Nuggets' fast-paced offense that thrives on explosive spurts isn't doomed for failure. With the right pieces, I feel like it can be a championship system. And Denver has a lot of those right pieces, right now. But - as Kenyon Martin told us on Tuesday - it's going to take a concerted defensive effort from anyone who ends up wearing blue and white."

"Kenyon Martin asked the question. So, Eduardo Najera reflected and responded in cut-and-dried terms, in 11 easily digestible words. "What's it like being the only Mexican basketball player in the NBA?" Martin asked his Denver Nuggets teammate."

"Are Kobe Bryant and the Lakers that good, or were Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets that inattentive and uninspired? . . . "

"It seemed like eons ago when the Nuggets, autumn dreamers, talked 60 wins and a playoff run. Now comes the obituary, following a season marred with what-ifs and what-the-hecks. The Nuggets lost on Monday, 107-101, to the No. 1-seeded Lakers, who swept Denver in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. "This was a message sent to us — we're not there yet," Denver guard Allen Iverson said. "

"In 32 seasons, the Nuggets never had been on the end of the NBA's ultimate broom. Neither had George Karl in 20 seasons as an NBA coach. But it happened Monday night. The Nuggets and Karl were swept in a seven-game series. At least the Lakers didn't make like a street sweeper in Game 4, which had been the case in the first three games. They won 107-101, with the Nuggets fighting back from a 13-point deficit, including a 10-point hole at halftime."

"The Lakers were in danger of coughing up Game 4, but Bryant propped them back up. The Nuggets were on the verge of booking another couple of nights in Los Angeles, but Bryant ruined their travel plans. He came alive in the fourth quarter, as he had so many times this season, and whisked the Lakers into the next round with a 107-101 victory Monday night at the Pepsi Center."

"Bryant finished off the Nuggets, scoring 14 of his 31 points during an electric fourth quarter surge that propelled the Lakers to a 107-101 victory Monday night and a four-game sweep of the best-of-7 opening-round playoff series."

"Hey, it's Stan Kroenke's money. If the billionaire owner of the Nuggets wants to pay coach George Karl for doing nothing, all we can do is watch as Denver gets rudely bumped from the NBA playoffs year after year. Broomed 107-101 by the Los Angeles Lakers, Karl was left to explain Monday why he couldn't get it done when it mattered most for the fifth consecutive season. Trade Allen Iverson? Give up on Carmelo Anthony? Dump the salary of Marcus Camby? Any analysis of what's wrong with the Nuggets must start with Karl. "

"As the game was coming down to the final minutes, J.R. Smith was trading baskets with the great Kobe Bryant and holding his own. It went like this: Bryant scores twice, Lakers 95-90. Smith scores twice, Nuggets 95, Lakers 95 and Smith tacks on a free throw for a three-point play and the Nuggets lead 96-95 with 3:23 left. The burst didn't hold in Denver's favor, as Bryant answered right back, scoring 14 of his game high 31 points in the final 5-1/2 minutes. But Smith's clutch performance caught everybody's eye, including team captain Carmelo Anthony. "

"In a series chock full of morose story lines for the Nuggets, one of the few silver linings was the play of reserve guard J.R. Smith. He was banished to the bench and publicly lambasted by coach George Karl for his erratic play during last season's first-round loss to San Antonio. Monday night, it was Smith who repeatedly brought the Nuggets back in their loss to the Lakers."

"In short, the Nuggets had finally reached the place where they found prosperity most of the season. They had achieved desperation. "We're a team of emotion," coach George Karl said before the game. "We've been a team of emotion most of the year. I think it's magnified because you're in the playoffs, but I think we've had similar situations." Emotion had been working against the Nuggets for the first three games of the series, from the technical foul parade to Carmelo Anthony's admission of surrender following Game 3. "

"About 48 hours after proclaiming he, his coaches and his teammates "quit" in Game 3 against the Lakers, Anthony was not treated as a hostile witness in his own house. Signs around the Pepsi Center were supportive - "Don't Stop Believing" summed up the theme - though the Nuggets still carried themselves with an us-against-the-world attitude."

"Unlike last offseason, which had little activity from the Nuggets, this one figures to be full from all angles. The Nuggets, who were swept out of the playoffs with a 107-101 loss on Monday night to the Lakers, have many personnel decisions to make. There are four free agents and one large matter to take care of — the contract status of all-star guard Allen Iverson. Iverson has one year left on his current contract, which pays him a base of $20.8 million. "

"Nuggets forward Nene was asked Monday whether he considers this a positive or negative season. Nene didn't need words before he spoke, flashing his trademark smile. "It's a positive," said Nene, who played in only 16 regular-season games and missed 21/2 months at midseason because of testicular cancer. "I know somebody in my position, they're not going to do what I did. I'm sure about that.""

"Frustration comes in different packages this postseason for Denver. For some players, it was because of what they did on the court. For guard Chucky Atkins, signed to be a potential starter, it was what he hadn't been able to do on the court. Atkins, who was injured for much of the season, entered Monday with just three minutes logged in three postseason games. "

"Notes from the brink. . . . If it's any consolation to the Nuggets, they just lost a playoff series to a team that may not lose any playoff series. The Lakers were a very good team before Pao Gasol's arrival from Memphis in early February. And now? Let's just say Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace ought to receive a playoff share from Kobe & Co. "

"It summed up Carmelo Anthony's series aptly. One of those shots as he described after Game 3 that "I can make in my sleep," instead, flat-out missed."

"Did Allen Iverson really compare Lakers fans to traditionally more vocal ones in Sacramento and Utah? Indeed he did, not long after the Nuggets where dropped by the Lakers in the first two games of their first-round series."

"Looks like they got the right matchup, after all. Remember all those weeks of speculation about who the Lakers would play in the first round, with Houston as the preferred option and Phoenix and Dallas as the booby prizes?"

"It's all about Carmelo Anthony and how will the hometown fans react after he caused such an uproar with his comments after Game 3. Kobe Bryant told reporters, and he would know, "It's all in how it turns out." As you know, it takes pressure to make a diamond, and there has to be a ton of it on Anthony."

"The mood Sunday, one Nugget said, "was almost like somebody died." A day before Game 4, the forlorn Nuggets convened for a Sunday film session while on the verge of their fifth straight first-round elimination. Questions hover about Denver's immediate future (tonight's home game against the Lakers) and the future in general (who stays? who goes?), but one thing is certain: Coach George Karl's job is secure, as it has always been, a source confirmed. "

"Many Nuggets players didn't speak to the media Sunday morning, the day after the team's 102-84 loss to the Lakers on Saturday. But those who did said they did not quit, as Carmelo Anthony suggested, in the second half of Game 3. "I don't think the team quit," forward Linas Kleiza said. "I know you guys want to get guys when they're frustrated and say things they don't want to say. Nobody quit. We're all together." "

"When the Lakers arrived to use the Nuggets' practice court Sunday at the Pepsi Center, players and coaches looked through the glass into the weight room. Strung about were white signs with black lettering that looked to be fresh off a Xerox copier. Lakers coach Phil Jackson is known for being philosophical. But even he didn't have to get too complex. "They have about 150 'I Believe' signs on all their machines," Jackson said. "I think they're trying to get the mentality that you've got to go out there and believe.""

"Several Nuggets players have said they want George Karl back next season as coach. Forward Eduardo Najera, soon to be a free agent, went so far as to say he only would consider re-signing if Karl returns. But, as far as Karl is concerned, the topic is a nonissue."

"Drama isn't the Lakers' concern for the first time in forever, which is fine with them, seeing as how they're not the ones playing like a group of independent contractors wearing the same uniform to work. Tonight could be the last stand for the Nuggets and a declarative step for the Lakers, who haven't swept a playoff series since 2002."

"It was this anonymity that prompted the Nuggets to do something as desperate as acquiring Allen Iverson last season, even if he didn't fit with a team that already had a one-on-one force unto himself, Carmelo Anthony. On the other hand, Iverson came cheap (Andre Miller, Joe Smith and draft picks) and the Nuggets weren't going anywhere, so what could it hurt? OK, here's the answer: Just look around."

"Now for that unexpected challenge, beating the dead. Apparently the Denver Nuggets went four paws up Saturday. Quit right there in front of their home crowd, a national television audience and all the Pepsi Center ushers wearing those really ugly headbands. "