The Curious Case of Carmelo Anthony

There were all sorts of notable storylines from Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals: Kobe Bryant's dominance down the stretch; Anthony Carter forgetting how to throw a bounce pass at the worst possible time, leading to a Trevor Ariza steal and Lakers win; the sudden relevance of the Birdman; the Zen-off between Phil Jackson and George Karl. However, I want to focus on the strange career of Carmelo Anthony, and my conflicted relationship with Melo.

Back in a darker time, let's call it, say, 2003, pre-NBA-age-limit (let's just go ahead and call it the Ndudi Ebi Rule, the same way that we used to talk about Larry Bird Rights), do you remember what a compelling story it was to watch a freshman lead an NCAA team to the Final Four? That was the youthful Carmelo Anthony, leading Syracuse and 9th-year senior Gerry McNamara not just to the Final Four, but a national championship. Such a thing had rarely been accomplished. He was drafted 3rd, after Greatness and Darko, ahead of Bosh, Wade, Ebi, et al. He instantly turned the Nuggets from a perennial post-Dikembe-disaster into a contender.

Then the shit hit the fan. Several pot busts, a "Stop the Snitchin" video, his seeming content to simply put up 20-25 points a night, make a lackadaisical effort in every other part of the game, and make the playoffs and lose in the first round, culminating with last April's DUI arrest. It seemed like he was destined to be an overrated pro who would be mostly remembered for his college career: a New Millennium Ralph Sampson.

Then this season. Perhaps, nay, probably spurred on by the departure of AI and the arrival of Chauncey Billups, Melo once again reinvented himself. He lost the braids, learned how to play defense, and started caring again. It all came to a head (for me, anyways) in Game 1, where for the first 45 minutes of the game, he was the best player on the floor. He dropped 39, played great defense on Kobe, got in Kobe's grill a little bit, and almost single-handedly willed his team to a Game 1 road win against the heavy-favorite Lake Show.

I love Melo 3.0.