Stop Snitching; Melo and the Midwest Mountain Ponzi Scheme

Stephen A. Smith wrote an article that I read online for this month’s ESPN the magazine about Carmelo Anthony that I found of interest. Yes, like most I find Stephen A to be an immoderate ranter of a commentator when on television, especially when you consider the majority commentators are there nearly by job description ,not to commentate, but rant.

Yet like a moth I continue glide into the light, even though I know I forsake myself and listen to him. This is much more because my introduction to Stephen A, was through his writings for the Philadelphia Enquirer and to be honest he is a pretty good journalist, most particular when it comes to basketball. Not because he is the new Jim Gray for Kobe or A.I. but because he usually checks his sources with several people around the league and then still offers, his own spin on the matter. So in these cases I give pardon and way to him.

To be honest as I read the article I did not want to agree with Stephen A., but if you are right and present truths how can you be denied? In his article Carmelo came off like a young whining, undeveloped, lost and flawed player as many would like to think of all NBA players. Melo in my observation complains about all the wrong things and the truth of the matter, you only have so many complaints before people shut you out in any business, star or not, Al Sharpton can verify this. How did Carmelo Anthony ever get to be the poster boy of all that is wrong with the NBA? Well there is a list that I don’t need to detail. Melo's biggest issue is as Stephen A. gracefully says, "you refused to listen… when they (Dwayne Wade and Lebron James) told you not to sign that five-year, $80 million extension with Denver." If that was not the truth, well said, graceful but still direct by Stephen A. and is something that I believed the day he signed the contract. 

The Denver Nuggets as I have watched over the years have never had a motivation to win a championship in their franchise history they are happy to be part of the "also rans" from their ABA days through the McDyess years up into Melo and Chauncey Billups. This is an organization who still lives off the highlights of being the origin of the dunk contest in 1976 of Julius Erving, Mutumbo clutching the ball upon the ground, after defeating a Payton and Kemp, Seattle team in the 93-94 season. Dan Issel is still the franchise's greatest player and second greatest coach behind the continously fallen short Mike D'Antoni before himself, in Doug Moe. Even the hiring of George Karl is just a reminder of what they have achieved in the past. They are an organizational ponzi scheme of hope, dreams and achievement.

And why should they not be, no ownership group have ever had the heat put to them because everybody focuses on the Broncos in Denver. Keke Vanderweghe who did not realize it as a player but as a GM realized it and got out of the organization, and in time Rex Chapman will also.  Carmelo has allowed the Nuggets to use him as their scapegoat and define him as an immature, self-interested player, far from what he left Oak Hill Academy and Syracuse University as. Melo’s failure as a star was not to put pressure on the Nuggets and hold them accountable, this is his true immaturity and self-interest. Yet, let us be honest 80 million dollars is alot of money to walk away from and it's hard to tell another man what he should do with his money but Wade and LeBron were right, he should have taken the shorter contract.

Melo no matter what he does will never be successful, in Denver and has already influenced his NBA legacy. In the 2010-11 season he will play his best basketball ever and begin to enter into his NBA prime, but he can start a new game and call next in 2009 by letting it be known or hinted at that he has no plans of staying in Denver after his contract ends and begin his re-ascent.  As many New Yorkers look down I-95 or across I-80, they may want to go further west and further south to I-70 because it won’t be LeBron or Wade that ends up in New York but Melo.