| Trade Carmelo? Authored by Brandon Hoffman - May 15, 2008 - 3:15 pm
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This comes a week after the Denver Post reported that no one on Denver's roster is "untouchable."
With $81,696,590 on the books for next season, the Nuggets have the league's 3rd highest payroll. Only $7 million less than the dastardly New York Knicks. That means owner Stan Kroenke will pay $44 million plus luxury taxes for a team that won 50 games but was dispatched in four games by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dealing Anthony would be a mistake.
Although his scoring average dropped three points this season, he shot a career-best 49% from the field, 35% from the 3-point line, and grabbed a career-high 7 rebounds a game.
Instead, it's time for Nuggets VP Mark Warkentien and player personnel executive Rex Chapman to take the blame for the trade that brought Allen Iverson to Denver.
By trading Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first-round picks for Allen Iverson and forward Ivan McFarlin, Warkentien added $11 million in additional salary in exchange for 5 more regular season wins.
The Nuggets were a better team with Andre Miller and Earl Boykins than they are with Allen Iverson.
With Miller running the show, the Nuggets made the playoffs in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Having traded for J.R. Smith before the 2007 season, the pieces were in place.
The hierarchy within the team was clear. Anthony took the bulk of the shots and yet with Miller distributing the ball, Denver had 6 players (J.R. Smith, Nene, Boykins, Camby, Miller, Carmelo) average double-figures.
Kenyon and Linus Kleiza — double-figure scorers this year — were sidelined with injury and inexperience.
Everything changed when the Nuggets traded for A.I. in December of 2007.
Things deteriorated even further when Warkentein dealt Boykins to Milwaukee for point guard Steve Blake. In large part because the Nuggets could no longer afford to play the small point guard alongside the 6-0, 165 pound shooting guard Iverson.
Amid luxury tax concerns, Blake was allowed to sign with Portland and the Nuggets point guard situation (the most important position in basketball) has been in influx ever since.
Journey point guard Anthony Carter was handed the reins this year but failed to implement any continuity in Denver's offense.
Without a top-flight point guard like Miller, Iverson and Anthony were free to take turns ignoring their teammates. Both players averaged 19 shot attempts and 26 points per game.
That's great for the highlight reels but it does little for the win-loss column or Kroenke's bottom line.
Trading Carmelo might help Kroenke’s bottom line in the short term but it will hurt the win-loss column for years to come.
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