Nuggets Suspend Carmelo
‘MeloThe Pistons will get a slight boost in their hunt for a third consecutive W tonight as they go against a ‘Melo-less Nuggets squad. It’s not like Anthony is injured though – Denver suspended him for one game because of an “in-game transgression” during the Pacers game.
Though no one knows officially why he’s being forced to sit out, the Denver Post is reporting that ‘Melo refused to come out of the game against Indiana, thus angering Mr. Lovable George Karl.
“There is a code of conduct that we take very seriously, especially from a leader and co-captain,” Nuggets vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman said. “Carmelo knows this and regrets what happened. He is a very competitive person and made a poor decision in the heat of the moment. We look forward to having him back on Thursday and will have no further comment at this time.”
Keep an eye on this situation. Since Chauncey arrived, all of the underlying issues between Karl and his team seemingly have been swept under the rug. We’ve even seen Big George mentioned in Coach of the Year talks. But there’s no doubt that he’s not always everyone’s favorite dude. By suspending ‘Melo, some of those “issues” could resurface…
Source: Denver Post
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 am
yoda says:
good move by nuggets. so many players think they are sacred cow. its time to put them down on earth, especially those who accomplished nothing in nba.
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:23 am
Banga says:
The Nuggets have a really really really good team and there is no reason why they shouldn’t be considered championship contenders… oh wait… George Karl is their coach… Fire his fat ass already and get someone else… First Round Exits aren’t doing it anymore… If this was Detroit he would be long gone!
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:28 am
calvin brodus says:
Oh mylanta. The nuggies have had me chewing on my fingernails since the all star break. I like Melo’s heart and wanting to stay in the game, but is it worth a suspension? Obviously not. As much as Melo can be a knucklehead, KARL KILLS ME. They need to bust a Shanahan on that dude and get him the fuck out of mile high. The nuggies current record is absolutely in spite of Karl, not because of him.
Coach of the year? Sheeeeeet, Billups is a better coach than Karl. On the bright side, this season ends one of two ways. If the nuggies exit in the first round again, Karl is done for sure. Which is almost worth another first round exit. Otherwise, we advance past the first round (possibly further) and all remains hunky-dory. Both are good enough/acceptable outcomes.
Nuggs gotta get that win tonight though.
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:31 am
ToAn says:
not that i’m a fan of Karl but this is one of the things you have to do when you are looking for some respect from your players..you just can’t ignore the coach when he wants you out of the game…i wonder if mike brown would have the balls to suspend lebron in such a situation (personally i don’t think that lebron would do this)…
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:36 am
rodnets says:
melo will explode next game, expect a fantasy line over there
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:50 am
Kudabeen says:
championship contenders??
I agree they have good pieces and that every likes to elevate Chauncey to GOAT level greatness, especially when it comes to putting Iverson down, but this is how I see it…
George Karl is still the coach with inconsistent passion…
Carmelo is still be focus of the team and even though he has been doing better in his all around game he isn’t having a better year than the last two with Iverson…Wasn’t Chauncey supposed to make him better??
I love the production by Nene and K-Mart, but with Melo shooting worse and the overall energy lacking at times their contributions aren’t really that great. They can still be out played by Boozer/Memet, West/Chandler, Bynum or Odom/Gasol, Duncan/Bonner??, and Yao/Scola…etc
If the Nuggets win 50-55 games and win a game or two in the playoffs…then what?? 22 Games left. 11-16 Ws is realistic…
All this to say with all the talk of their improvement, which isn’t missed on me…Chauncey is a great floor general…He is what every great team needs, but Denver has many holes that go unmentioned…I guess Iverson was the most convenient scapegoat…
Is it possible Melo will be traded for a Bosh or some other big contract player that probably won’t rep-up??
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:33 am
Bruce says:
Charles Barkley said it best, “Melo is a star just not a superstar.” Now Melo is pulling attitude.
Melo you are a father now, you must be a good example to your son.
At this rate, Melo might never get out of the first round.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:36 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
Cue the meltdown.
Does anybody think this team is getting out of the 1st round? I could see Utah, Phx, SA, P Town, Houston, LAL all bouncing them early.
They could probably get by Dallas
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:41 am
Al Qaeda Jada says:
they aren’t making out of the first round this year
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:46 am
Chaos says:
man, i think this year with carmelo is about his growth as a player. u can obviously see how much better an all around player he has become. and he finally is getting that competitiveness that will put him up there with LBJ and DWade. i can understand him not wanting to come out the game. any player that loves the game and wants to win should always wanna be in the game…even a close one. i am calling bullshit!
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:46 am
flavur says:
Nuggets should fire George Karl and hire eddie Jordan or Flip(did he retire from coaching) or Reggie Theus who I can’t believe that he was fired when he had a shit team but Denvers team is legit.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:52 am
SJ says:
Damnit, doesn’t Karl know ‘Melo is 100% owned in fantasy leagues!? That bastard…
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:38 am
tim says:
Billups better get a standing Ovation from the Detroit faithful tonight…People who Boo him will need to be slapped.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
DH says:
Melo is out to get his, and that’s it. He’ll never take his team to a championship if they’re relying on him to step up and be a man (see his “fight” at MSG). He’s not near on the same level as Wade or LBJ, so let’s stop with the comparisons.
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:24 pm
D-Lite says:
Is Melo the new T-mac?
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:26 pm
!!!!!!!!!!! says:
George Karl should have been fired and AI and Melo should still be balling together! Karl was the problem, he makes horrible substitutions…Melo should have come out though but Karl should have been gone after last year. Instead they played it off and made AI the scapegoat when he was their best player last year. And now he is the scapegoat in Detroit on a team that has lazy Sheed and overrated Rip and a bunch of scrubs.
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Dave says:
Chaos….are you serious? Melo will never be in the same league as DWade and LBJ, he’s a thug with no class or clue how to be a team player and how to make others around him better. He has incredible skills but he is a mental midget with no chance of being more than a tatted up playa who is more concernced with how he looks than with being a winner. Yes GKarl is an idiot most of the time, but get real Melo won’t ever amount to more than a good player who never lived up to his potential.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:27 am
dagwaller says:
Hahahaha this is funny stuff, Dime. Melo refuses to listen to the coach, and KARL IS THE PROBLEM?!?!?! DUMB. I like this team better now that Chauncey is the point guard, but let’s not delude ourselves into thinking that they’re a championship contender (yet). And no, Karl’s not the problem.