Should the Denver Nuggets sign Carmelo Anthony in the offseason to allow him to retire with the team that made him a household name?
Last December, after a game against the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers veteran forward Carmelo Anthony would tell reporters he would like his number 15 jersey retired in Denver more than anywhere else, saying “I think that the history is here, it’s where it all started” (per NBC Sports’ Jamie Hudson).
By the history, of course, the 10-time All-Star would mean his storied career.
Anthony was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft just months after leading Syracuse to a national championship and being named the NCAA Tournament’s most outstanding player. A lethal scorer who averaged 22.2 points per game in his lone collegiate season (along with 10.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game), Anthony was even thought to be on par with LeBron James heading into the draft.
Those thoughts would continue in his rookie season, as Melo wasted no time in making his presence felt in Denver.
Anthony won the conference’s Rookie of the Month award for six straight months (November to April), averaging 21.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his rookie campaign. He even led the Nuggets, whose second-leading scorer was Andre Miller (14.8 points per game) to the playoffs as a rookie.
Though they lost to Kevin Garnett’s Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, the Nuggets would go on to reach the playoffs for the next six postseasons; every season that Melo finished in Denver.
Frankly, the Nuggets enjoyed plenty of regular season success but they weren’t the most successful playoff team, only making it out of the first round once (they reached the Western Conference Finals in 2009).
While that would seem like a major reason why Anthony wanted to leave the Nuggets during the 2010-11 season, Melo would tell Yahoo Sports! that Denver was planning on going younger with everyone’s contract being up. He didn’t want to be a part of that rebuilding process and then declined a three-year contract extension he was offered in 2010.
Nonetheless, as it usually happens when a team’s marquee player wants to move on, Melo’s move to New York left a sour taste in the mouth of Denver’s fans. It’s worth noting that one of the picks given to the Nuggets for moving Anthony turned into rising star Jamal Murray and that with Nikola Jokic emerging as the team’s best player, they’re once again poised to make regular postseason appearances.
Perhaps the team’s recent turnaround is what’s prompted fans and the Nuggets organization to soften up when it comes to Anthony. Per NBC Sports’ Jamie Hudson, Melo has said that if the opportunity had presented itself to return to Denver, would have welcomed it.
"“We talked about it. People in my circle were like, ‘Go back to Denver.’ If it was that easy I probably would’ve done it. A lot of things came into play when it comes to that, kind of out of my control at that time, the timing was off."
Seemingly on his last legs, he was out of the league for nine months after the Houston Rockets released him last February. His iso-heavy style, no longer en vogue in the NBA, led him to be traded from the Knicks (who had other gripes with him) in 2017 to the Oklahoma City Thunder for one season before he was traded to the Rockets, with the latter releasing him after just 10 games in 2018-19.
Team USA’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition, a household name and one of the best scorer’s in league history (20th all-time in points scored), Melo was on the verge of being cast off from the NBA before the Blazers took a chance on him in November.
However, turning 36-years-old on May 29 and having spent 17 seasons in the NBA, Anthony’s career won’t last forever. In fact, this season or next could very well be his last.
All this begs the question: should Denver honor him by allowing him to play his last season and having his farewell tour with the Nuggets?
On the one hand, there’s a practical reason, having Melo’s scoring punch couldn’t hurt, with Denver ranked just 20th in points per game (110.4) in 2019-20. In addition, he’s undoubtedly one of the best players in franchise history.
Of course, with Jokić wearing the number 15 jersey now, it’s unlikely that Anthony will have it retired unless the Joker chooses to make an unexpectedly prompt exit from the Nuggets. However, there’s at least one way to honor Melo, who hit rock bottom last year and was humbled by the experience.
There’s far more reason to allow him to retire in Denver than not to.
It’ll be interesting to see where the Nuggets stand on the matter and if Anthony will ever be seen in a blue and gold jersey ever again.