Nuggets a cupcake no longer

By Joe Kaiser Sports Central Columnist

It was supposed to be the Carmelo Anthony show in Denver this season. When the team struggled yet again and attendance sagged for another season, it wouldn't matter. Carmelo would put the Nuggets on the map.

Little over a month into the season, it's been Carmelo and then some, as the Nuggets have been the surprise team in all of the NBA. Currently at 13-8, the team is riding back-to-back losses, meaning they were at one time seven games above .500. Remember, this is a team that went 17-65 last season.

More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that they are currently just a half-game back in the headed Midwest Division behind Houston and Dallas. Only two games separate first place from the cellar in the division.

Most impressive in the early going has been the Nuggets' ability to play with the top teams in the league. Each night out, they are a bearcat for any team to face, much like the Nuggets team of 1994 that shocked the No. 1-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in round one of the playoffs. This team, rebuilt over the last two seasons with a nucleus of young talent with a couple proven veteran role players, can play.

Already, Denver has knocked off San Antonio, Sacramento, and Dallas, arguably three of the top four teams in the Western Conference. And against Phoenix, a team filled with superstars in Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury, and Amare Stoudemire, Denver won by 30 points.

Leading the charge has been a cast of newcomers.

Anthony has been all that the organization could have hoped for from the third overall third pick in the 2003 June draft, scoring 18.5 points, pulling down 7.0 rebounds, dishing 3.0 assists, and averaging around one steal and block per contest.

Deadly shooting guard Voshon Lenard, who played in Toronto last season after an earlier stop in Denver, is second on the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game.

Poing guard Andre Miller, acquired via free agency from the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason, has blossomed as the team's floor general, leading the team in assists (5.9) and steals (1.6) while averaging 15.2 points.

Tiny guard Earl Boykins, all of 5'5", came over from Golden State and has played a huge role. He's averaging 12.2 points and is second on the team in assists per game.

Jon Barry, a big reason for the success Sacramento and Detroit had in recent season, came over from the Pistons in the summer via free agency and has continued to be a go-to guy off the bench. He's averaging 7.2 points as a reserve, and doesn't hurt the team in any offensive category. Barry leads the Nuggets in assist-to-turnover ratio.

And these are just the newcomers.

Returner Nene Helario, now referred to simply as Nene, is 21-years-old and only in his second season, but the big man is nearly averaging a double-double. His 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game are a sign of great things to come for the 6-foot-11 forward/center.

Marcus Camby, now in his eighth season out of UMass, has returned from playing in just 29 games a season ago and provided an intimidating presence inside the paint. The injury-proned 6'11" center has been brought along cautiously, averaging 24.7 minutes per game, but made a big difference from Nuggets teams of the past. While averaging just 5.6 points, he's done his job inside, taking down 9.4 rebounds and blocking 2.5 shots per game.

Reserve Chris Andersen has added 2.6 blocks off the bench, and been a perfect answer when Camby needs to rest.

It would have been hard to foresee only five weeks ago, but the Nuggets have quietly put together quite a lineup built for the future. This year, the team is proving that Carmelo isn't the show, rather just a part of it.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.