A.I. & Melo provide Nuggets with hope

Maybe this wasn't the best year for George Karl to take his team on the road for some training camp bonding. These Denver Nuggets aren't the same ones who gathered in Pueblo, Colo., in October.

Joe Smith, Andre Miller, Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge are all playing in the Eastern Conference now. Kenyon Martin is a sidelined spectator, and the backcourt now consists of Allen Iverson and Steve Blake.

In their minds, the Nuggets' season started anew Monday night when Carmelo Anthony, the league's leading scorer, returned from his 15-game punishment for fighting and teamed with A.I. for 51 points, 13 assists, countless highlights and abundant open looks all around in an emphatic win over Memphis.

"It was fun," Iverson said. "The future looks bright for us."

With everybody getting open shots and Marcus Camby holding things down in the paint, the Nuggets suddenly look like a contender.

"We have something really special," forward Eduardo Najera said.

Just wait, advised Anthony.

"We ain't even clicking the way we're going to be clicking next month or the month after that," he said. "March and April, that's the best time to click. I think once we get our stuff together, it's going to be trouble."

"The chemistry is going to get better with everybody, not just me and Carmelo," Iverson concurred. "Everybody hasn't clicked so far. We need more games and time to practice together."

A seven-time All-Star acquired from Philly last month, Iverson insists he's thrilled to play second fiddle to Melo. Having a second superstar on his team along with a pass-first point guard allows him a freedom he's never had in his 11 NBA seasons.

"I have been on teams where I scored 50 points and lost," Iverson said. "That is tough. And when you have so many good players around you, it makes it that much easier and makes the game that much more fun. I'm not saying that I don't play 110 percent anyway. I'm going to do that regardless, because I will never disrespect the talent that God gave me.

"I play 110, but I don't have to do all the things I had to do in Philadelphia. I don't have to put that much pressure on myself like I did night in and night out, to go out there and have a big game and give our team a chance to win. Here, I feel like if I do go out and struggle, we can still win the game."

Melo struggled with his shooting touch, missing all eight of his jumpers but still managed a game-high 28 points.

"He missed a lot of shots that he usually can make with his eyes closed," Iverson said. "But that is all about having timing and getting into a rhythm. For someone that hasn't played in 15 games, he looked like an All-Star to me."

Iverson is already calling this the most talented team he's ever been on, and that's saying a lot for a man who led the Sixers to the NBA finals in 2001.

"It's not even close," Iverson said. "I could go through the whole squad and name somebody that can impact a game. I have never been a part of a team like that. I feel like I can play four more quarters. Usually after a game, I'm done."

Anthony, too, is refreshed, about the only positive result from his five-week ban from basketball for punching Knicks guard Mardy Collins on Dec. 16.

"I'm not saying that I'm glad that incident happened," Anthony said, "but in a way, I am glad that I got a break, got a chance to sit back and analyze things and get my mind together and see what I need to do out there on the court and off the court."