We now see the mature version of Carmelo Anthony. He’s in his prime. He’s at - or very near - his peak. The next half-dozen seasons should be the finest of his career.

Anthony proved last season he’s not a lost loser. He did a superb job of stepping to the side and sharing the spotlight with Chauncey Billups. He showed he’s more interested in winning than scoring. He’s even become a decent defender.

But he’s not on the same level as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant. He’s not blessed with superhero-like powers. He’s one of the NBA’s top dozen players in the present tense, but James, Wade and Bryant have a chance to rank among the NBA’s best dozen players of all  time. Anthony can’t soar quite as high as the NBA’s top trio.

I believe that’s good news.

When James and his Cavaliers ran into the Orlando Magic, they fell apart. The Cavs stood around and waited for King James to rescue them. This wasn’t a team performance. It was a star performance. Basketball is most entertaining when a team is humming along with all five players playing a crucial role. That’s how the Nuggets played this season.

And that’s how the Nuggets will play during the remaining days of the Billups era. Working together, Anthony and Billups have a real chance to seize an NBA title, perhaps as soon as next season.

Will Anthony ever reach James’ level as a star?

No.

Will he wear a title ring before James?

Yes., I think he will.

And, please, don’t even bring up Shaq’s arrival in Cleveland. Shaq was a freakish force in the NBA … three years ago. Now, he’s an ancient, over-the-hill warrior who delivers an instant slow-down effect to a team’s attack.  “Rent-a-Shaq,” a phrase coined by Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski, was a disaster in Phoenix. Expect a repeat disaster in Cleveland.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.