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Carmelo Anthony Injury Update – Return Date

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:21:46 +0000

The Denver Nuggets have set a firm return date for Carmelo Anthony. Their star small forward is set to return from injury on Friday in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Interestingly enough, the Bobcats will be without their star small forward after Gerald Wallace got injured by Andrew Bynum.

Anthony missed a total of ten games with his injury — a broken bone in his hand. During those ten games, the Nuggets were able to win six of the contests.

To make up for Anthony’s scoring, the Nuggets got help from a number of players. Chauncey Billups, JR Smith, Nene and Linas Kleiza have all added to their scoring lately. Once Carmelo returns, expect those players to get less shot attempts and less points.

The player whose fantasy value could rise with the return of Carmelo is Billups. With Carmelo sidelined, Billups’ assists plummeted. In his last five games, he’s only averaging around five assists per contest. With Anthony around, you can expect his assists numbers to rise to around seven or eight per game.

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Carmelo Anthony Video – Game Winner vs. OKC

Stephen Kersey — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:08:10 +0000

After Kevin Durant hit a clutch three-pointer to put the Oklahoma City Thunder up by a point with under three seconds to go, Carmelo Anthony drained a three-pointer to give the Denver Nuggets the win. Carmelo’s three-pointer made it 122-120 with .1 seconds left and the Thunder were unable to get off a shot. Video of Carmelo Anthony’s game-winner can be seen at the end of this entry.

Although recently missing time due to an elbow injury, Carmelo has played well since returning to the lineup. In his last four games, the Nuggets forward is averaging nearly 25 points and nearly seven rebounds per game.

For the season, Carmelo has been disappointing. Though some of his struggles can be attributed to his injured elbow, that doesn’t make fantasy basketball owners much happier. His overall stats are similar to last season’s stats except that he’s shooting worse from the field and average about five less points.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll see if Carmelo can get back to his rhythm. Hypothetically, he should have an even better season that last season due to the fact that Allen Iverson has been replaced by Chauncey Billups — which should mean more shots for him. However, that hasn’t been the case so far this season.

Here is the Carmelo Anthony video of his game winner against the Thunder:

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Denver Nuggets – Fantasy Basketball Analysis

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:00:50 +0000

After the Chauncey Billups trade in which the Denver Nuggets sent away Allen Iverson, the makeup and chemistry of the team has changed substantially. That has trickled down into the fantasy basketball world. Here is a look at the key players on the Nuggets and an analysis regarding their current stance in the fantasy basketball world:

Chauncey Billups
Although Chauncey Billups’ stats have slowly been going downhill in recent years, look for him to have a very good season this year for the Nuggets. Coach George Karl has given him complete control of the team and Billups is even more involved than he was with Detroit. Additionally, Karl is playing Billups a bit at shooting guard, which should help Billups’ scoring numbers. Overall, Billups looks like he’s going to have a great 2008 fantasy basketball campaign.

Carmelo Anthony
With Iverson, Carmelo Anthony is once again the team’s number one scoring option. He should eventually be able to get his scoring average back up around 30 points per game. He’s also rebounding more and getting more assists, which should make fantasy basketball owners very happy. With Billups passing him the ball and a non-offensive player in Dahntay Jones replacing Iverson at shooting guard, Carmelo has a chance to have a monster season.

Nene
With Marcus Camby out of the picture, Nene has established himself as the center for the Nuggets. With Billups able to set him up, Nene should have a very good season. He seems to have overcome his injuries and illnesses and is now a full blown beast down low.

Kenyon Martin
Now one year removed from major knee surgery, Kenyon Martin looks even better athletically. He’s not going to do much more than he did last season but even at that production level, he’s a decent fantasy basketball option.

JR Smith
JR Smith might be the one player hurt by the loss of AI. The run and gun, shoot whenever you want days in Denver seem to have left with AI. Now with Billups in control, there are much fewer wild shots. Plus with Smith coming off the bench, it’s going to be hard for him to live up to the hype he was garnering in the preseason.

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Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups Trade

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:45:05 +0000

The fantasy basketball impact of the Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups trade is difficult to piece together. It’s such a drastic difference for both teams that it may take a few months to sort out. The trade, which was completed earlier in the week, sends Allen Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheick Samb.

First of all for the Nuggets, they finally have a star point guard to build around. Every since trading away Andre Miller, Denver has struggled to find a floor general. Although Billups isn’t as good as he was a couple seasons ago, he’s still an elite point guard. Expect his fantasy basketball numbers to remain relatively the same in Denver.

The biggest winner on the Nuggets roster is Carmelo Anthony. He’ll get a lot more shots now that he doesn’t have to share with Iverson. Anthony should once again challenge for the league lead in points per game. His percentages should also improve now that he has a player to set him up. The other big winner on the Nuggets is JR Smith. He should see way more time at shooting guard and could blossom into a big time scorer who could lead the league in three-pointers made. The big loser on the Nuggets is obviously Anthony Carter, who will go from starter to limited bench player.

For the Pistons, things aren’t nearly as cut and dry. Iverson likely will first begin as the team’s point guard. But throughout his career, Iverson has struggled running the show. With so many different pieces to feed, it’s questionable whether he’ll be able to be a full-time point guard. If he can’t survive at point guard, that opens the door for Rodney Stuckey to play even more. There’s even a chance that the Pistons could opt to start Stuckey and Iverson in the backcourt and then bring Richard Hamilton off the bench. Another option is for Tayshaun Prince to become a pseudo point guard and let Iverson play off the ball.

Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell should also see the fantasy stocks rise due to taking up more of McDyess’ minutes. However, rumor has it that McDyess may return to Detroit after a buyout – a la Brent Barry and the San Antonio Spurs last season.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Team USA Basketball Video – US vs Spain

Stephen Kersey — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:34:11 +0000

Team USA’s basketball team continues to look dominant. Against Spain, the reigning World Champions, the United States won 119-82 in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games.

LeBron James led the way with 18 points, eight assists and four steals. Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade chipped in 16 points for Team USA.

Here is a video of Team USA Basketball’s victory over Spain:

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Prostitutes with LeBron, Wade and Carmelo?

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:21:24 +0000

According to a report coming out of China, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were caught coming out of a brothel where they reportedly interacted with prostitutes. The action reported occurred in the Chinese city of Macau and LeBron, Wade and Carmelo are said to have paid approximately $200 with tips totaling $20.

While this report is far from official, photos of the events have begun to circulate. Here are some of the pictures featuring LeBron, Wade and Carmelo:

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Team USA Defeats Canada 120-65

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:52:04 +0000

While the game didn’t mean anything, Team USA started off its bid for a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with a masterful 120-65 win over Canada. This was Team USA’s first exhibition game in 2008.

Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Michael Redd each had 20 points for Team USA. Wade, who missed the end of the NBA season due to injury, looked especially strong. Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams and Chris Paul each chipped in double-digit points.

LeBron James’ ankle injury forced him to miss the game.

Here is a video of Team USA’s win against Canada:

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Team USA Olympic Basketball Team – Roster

Stephen Kersey — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:55:59 +0000

Kobe Bryant – The reining MVP will try to be world’s best.
LeBron James – The manchild could be team’s go-to player.
Dwyane Wade – Wade has a history of needed clutch play.
Carmelo Anthony – May be the best pure scorer in the world.
Dwight Howard – The interior anchor of the team.
Chris Paul – Becoming an MVP caliber point guard quickly.
Deron Williams – Joins Williams as young stud point guard.
Jason Kidd – Old veteran still great asset for this team.
Chris Bosh – Multifaceted bigman capable of anything.
Michael Redd – The team’s designated shooter.
Carlos Boozer – The muscle for Team USA.
Tayshaun Prince – Defensive specialist on the team.

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Carmelo Anthony DUI Suspension – Fantasy Impact

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:52:36 +0000

Carmelo Anthony was arrested early Monday morning for suspicion of DUI. While the results of the blood test won’t be available for another two weeks, Anthony will likely face a suspension at some point if he’s found guilty.

The good news for Anthony owners in fantasy basketball is that he will likely be available for the season finale. The Nuggets play the Grizzlies on Wednesday in a game that will likely have playoff implications. The only way Anthony might not play is if that game suddenly becomes meaningless in regards to the playoffs.

If Anthony doesn’t play, that’s a big fantasy boost for Linas Kleiza. Kleiza would get the bulk of the minutes at small forward and has proven to be a very capable player this year when given the minutes. Additionally, you could expect Allen Iverson to carry even more of the load.

When will Anthony be suspended by the NBA? It’s unlikely that it will happen at any point before next year’s regular season. If Anthony is found guilty at some point, there’s a good chance he’ll be suspended for the first couple games of the 2008-09 NBA season.

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Nene Has Malignant Tumor

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:20:41 +0000

The Nuggets have confirmed a report that Nene’s tumor is indeed malignant. The great news is that Nene is expected to make a complete recovery and there’s only a remote chance that the cancer will return.

Reports also indicate that there’s a chance that Nene could return as soon as March. While it’s a bit early to be thinking about his return, Nene has bounced back from other tough setbacks including a torn ACL.

Until he returns, expect Kenyon Martin and Eduardo Najera to man the minutes next to Marcus Camby. Linas Kleiza and even Carmelo Anthony might slide over to the power forward position if George Karl opts to go small.

If you have Nene on your fantasy team, you might as well release him unless you are in a super deep league. There’s a chance that he could miss the rest of the season. And even if he does return, there’s no guarantee that he’ll play major minutes at any point this season.

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