Carmelo Anthony works on his Michael Jordan tongue moves

The Nuggets have signed J.R. Smith to a multi-year contract as a crucial piece to their team.

He shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range, the best percentage in team history for players with at least 100 3-pointers.

Smith, 22, was acquired from Chicago in 2006 in exchange for Howard Eisley and two second-round draft picks. He was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round and 18th overall in 2004.

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Smith’s consistent play and 3 point shooting has slowly won Coach George Karl over to his side.

You gotta wonder though, with Denver easily giving up Camby and shopping Iverson if Denver is not on the downhill slope.

How much can Carmelo Anthony carry this team?

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Andre Iguodala is surrounded by Rasheed Wallace and Jason Maxiell

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Andre Iquodala has talent just oozing out of him. If you watched the first round playoff matchup of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons, it was easy to see who was carrying the 76ers.

Andre was the man.

Unfortunately the Pistons are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They blanketed Andre with Tayshaun Prince as the lead defender and help coming from any direction Andre went. Bad grammar, but true story.

Andre still needs to develop his outside game to be a force, but with his strength and athleticism, he is a daunting hoop player.

He is also a restricted free agent.

Andre must be singing with joy, but he isn’t. You see, to sign him you need a lot of money. What team has a lot of money left over?

With last week’s trade of Marcus Camby and his large contract from the Denver Nuggets to the Los Angeles Clippers, the thrifty Grizzlies remain the only club with significant salary-cap space. And they have said they won’t take on expensive contracts. That leaves free agents with few options and even less leverage.

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Time to talk NBA common sense. The 76ers need to sign this guy. They just picked up Elton Brand. They are young and eager. You take a first round playoff team like the 76ers and add Elton Brand to the mix, with Andre Iguodala, Andre Miller at the point, and jumping jack Samuel Dalembert, who knows what can happen?

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Marcus Camby screams “All right, it is the Clippers!”

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You lose an Elton Brand and what do you do?

Marcus Camby, you go get a Marcus Camby. He may not score like Elton, but he rebounds and blocks shots like mad!

Camby led the NBA in blocked shots with 3.61 per game last season, only the second player in league history to do so in three straight seasons.

He averaged 9.1 points and 13.1 rebounds playing a career-best 34.9 minutes per game for the Nuggets. Camby was the league’s defensive player of the year in 2006-07.

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The Clippers had to do something with Corey Maggette leaving and only Baron Davis coming in.

So it must be pretty obvious how Camby fits in.

Camby will be counted on to help replace the 20 points and 10 rebounds that Brand has averaged from the power forward spot in his nine-year career. Camby will join center Chris Kaman, who had by far his best season, but was limited to 56 games by several injuries.

“I love this acquisition for the current makeup of our team,” Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. “We are getting a consummate pro who is maybe the best team defender in the league and who has 60 playoff games under his belt.”

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Rasheed Wallace is expensive, but available

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Chauncey Billups? He is available.

Rip Hamilton? Yeah, him too.

Rasheed Wallace? Well, more expensive, because his rather large contract expires next year.

Tayshaun Prince? He may be a throw in on other deals, go figure.

Joe Dumars said all four are available. He wants to shake things up. Umpteen million trips to the conference finals with only 1 NBA title just does not get it done.

Still, where is the deal?

Dumars has said he wants another team’s best player. But can they get that player? I don’t think so. Reportedly, Detroit wanted Carmelo but Denver was only offering Camby or Iverson. I see that exact scenario playing out with pretty much every team in the league. There will be no Carmelos out there, just a bunch of Cambys. And for what the Pistons would have to give up, I don’t think that makes them better – just different.
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The Pistons are already over the cap, so a deal needs to be done or the 5.4 million dollar exception is to be used.

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Los Angeles won its first playoff game against the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers and Kobe Bryant exposed the Denver Nuggets weakness on defense. That weakness would be actually playing defense, which Denver does not really want to do. It is more fun to shoot baskets.

Kobe Bryant telling Allen Iverson to guard him once in a while, it is embarrassing

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Pau Gasol was the high scorer. Denver sent out invitations for Los Angeles to score in the paint.

Lakers center Pau Gasol scored 36 points on 14-for-20 shooting, torching Nuggets counterpart Marcus Camby for a career high in points in the playoffs. Gasol also led the Lakers with 16 rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots in 45 minutes.

“They had to leave me (open) a few times … and my teammates found me,” Gasol said. “I just had to finish down low.”

Bryant scored 32 points on 9-for-26 shooting, breaking free from the Nuggets’ defensive shackles after scoring only four points on 2-for-10 shooting in the first half.

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Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson each knocked down 30 and played defense for 2 or 3 possessions. It seemed like a lot to them.

Kobe Bryant

Meanwhile the Lakers Kobe Bryant announced that he wants to stay with the Lakers.

“Absolutely,” Bryant said the day after the Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 128-114 in their playoff series opener. “I’ve always wanted to be here. I just felt like I was in a position where I didn’t really have a choice. They wanted to go in an opposite direction. My legs aren’t as young as they used to be. Just let me know.

“I love the weather. I love my ‘63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 (freeway). I love my guys.”

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Kobe felt he had been mislead when he signed a 136.4 million dollar contract.

Wow! That is tough to swallow, having to take all those millions and live in L.A. and be idolized and you did it by free choice.

Geez, GM Mitch Kupchack looks smart and the Chicago Bulls look like idiots.

NBA Basketball special comment Even with no Andrew Bynum, the Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are enough to win it all.

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Carmelo Anthony with 2 of many. Make that many many.

Denver 168 Seattle 116

Yeah, that was the score with no overtimes.

Denver, a pretty much all offensive team anyway, put on a show against Seattle, a pretty much non-defensive team anyway.

The Nuggets had eight players score in double figures, led by Carmelo Anthony’s 26 and Allen Iverson’s 24. Martin had 23 points and Marcus Camby had a triple-double with 13 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists.
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Denver had a 48 point first quarter.

They won the game by 52 points.

The Nuggets had 44 assists.

Get this, Halftime Score 84 to 58.

What an unreal game.

Now back to reality. Denver has to play Detroit. There will be no 168 points scored in that game.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Do you like the new all scoring NBA?

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And he shall come from the East and lead them…

Denver is all set up to win the Northwest.

Think about this division. Greg Oden is out for the season at Portland and they let their other big man, Zach Randolph, go to the Knicks.

Seattle is playing for the future with young Rookie of the Year front runner Kevin Durant. They are young and inexperienced.

The Timberwolves are starting the Al Jefferson show and have yet to move up town with their supporting cast of castaways.

This leaves only Utah. Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, Mehmet Okur present a solid core, but an unhappy Kirilenko really hurts them.

Carmelo is set to lead the Nuggets out of the Northwest.

He’s not the all-around threat James is, but he does exude greatness, able to put the ball in the basket as well as anyone in the game. All that has been missing are key ingredients like maturity and help. He feels he has both now. Excuses are out the window.

CBSSports.com believes in Anthony and the Nuggets, predicting they’ll overcome Utah in the Northwest Division. If they fail, it had better be a result of the scenario Karl believes possible, where Utah simply outperforms them and wins more than 60 games. That’s unlikely, but if it happens, Denver has every right to shake off the disappointment and feel good about its season. source

Introducing the Champions of the Northwest to be, the Denver Nuggets with an aging but still hungry Allen Iverson, a shoot happy Carmelo, a block happy Camby, and perhaps the key in Kenyon Martin.

Kenyon is coming off microfracture surgery and a lot depends on his recovery. Without Kenyon Martin they are not a very tough team on the offensive blocks.

Camby is counted on more for defense. Did you know he was the defensive player of the year? Came as a shock to me.

It appears any kind of chemistry on offense between The Truth and Melo should produce close to 50 victories and be good enough to win the division.

Hard to believe they have the horses to march through the playoffs, but we believed that about Cleveland and LeBron last year.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Who do you pick in the Northwest Division?

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