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Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
The Melo-AI partnership has been a success, more or less, but with Iverson's contract expiring and the Nuggets apparently in rebuilding mode, the curtain might be closing on this buddy movie.
| ANALYST | PREDICTION |
 J.A. Adande ESPN.com |
NORTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 10 Not a good idea to trade away the best defender on a weak defense. With Marcus Camby gone, it will be a 48-minute layup line for opponents. Even if both Melo and A.I. could shoot on every possession, they wouldn't be able to overcome that. |
 JonBarry ESPN.com |
NORTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 9 No defense, but you get rid of Camby and Najera and Diawara, the only guys who play D? I'm sensing a retreat from 50 wins -- I see them in a free fall. |
 ChrisBroussard ESPN Mag |
NORTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 9 The Nuggets have too much talent to miss the postseason, especially with J.R. and Kleiza coming into their own. In the end, maybe it's best that they end up in the lottery. After all, it'd be another quick trip if they were to make the playoffs. |
 RicBucher ESPN Mag |
NORTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 10 It's not the physical loss of Camby and Najera, it's the mental message that the Nugs are tearing down, not building up. That never plays well with vets looking for one more shot, and that's who is left. |
 ChadFord ESPN.com |
NORTHWEST: 2 | WEST: 9 Unless there's a legitimate Nene sighting, the Nuggets will join the Spurs, Suns and Mavericks as teams on the decline. Carmelo can be great and A.I. will be gunning for his next contract, but I can't find any real positives right now. |
 JemeleHill ESPN.com |
NORTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 10 They got rid of two of their best defensive players, Camby and Najera. |
 JohnHollinger ESPN.com |
NORTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 9 Half-dismantled Nuggets aren't sure whether they're coming or going -- but they'll know by midseason. If it's the former, they'll use their trade exception and pay the tax. If not, they'll trade A.I. and get under it. Either way, watch for J.R. Smith to break out. |
 JalenRose ESPN.com |
NORTHWEST: 4 | WEST: 10 A.I. and Melo will be All-Stars and All-NBA. Will Nene and Kenyon be healthy? Who will anchor the already poor defense without Camby? J.R. Smith starts to really make a name for himself. Team may score 170 in a game. |
 ChrisSheridan ESPN.com |
NORTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 11 The message of the Marcus Camby trade was unmistakable: Money is more important than winning, especially when it's Stanley Kroenke's money and he doesn't want to spend it on luxury tax. Our choice for our annual train wreck prediction. (Last year I chose Miami.) |
 MarcStein ESPN.com |
NORTHWEST: 3 | WEST: 9 The Nuggets might not fall as far as initially feared without Camby. That said, No. 8 in the West would again appear to be their best-case scenario ... whether or not it takes another 50 wins to get there. |
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TOTAL NORTHWEST: 3.0 | Standings WEST: 9.6 | Standings |
Team Strength: Perimeter scoring
Good luck hiding a bad wing defender against these guys. Denver can send out a lineup with Allen Iverson, J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony at the three perimeter positions at the same time; to really turbocharge things, the Nuggets also can play with Kleiza as an undersized 4.Iverson and Anthony, of course, are among the league's highest-scoring combos. Last season, they averaged a combined 52 points per game, and you got the sense they weren't even playing that well while they were doing it. They both look to get to the basket but do it in different ways -- Anthony likes to catch on the block or face up from the midpost, while Iverson prefers to attack off the dribble from out top.
The wild card in all this is Smith, who was quietly one of the league's most prolific scorers last season. Smith averaged 25.5 points per 40 minutes with one of the highest true shooting percentages in basketball, and after the All-Star break, that number climbed to 28.8 -- more than Anthony or Iverson. With unlimited range and the quickness to attack defenders off the dribble, he has the skill to be a big-time scorer if he keeps his head on straight. His ability to break out as a third scorer this year is Denver's best chance of hanging on to its spot in the playoffs.
| STARTERS | RESERVES |
 Anthony Carter | Point Guard 6-2 | 195 | Age: 33 Hollinger profile |
 Chucky Atkins | Guard 5-11 | 185 | Age: 34 Hollinger profile |
 Allen Iverson | Shooting Guard 6-0 | 180 | Age: 33 Hollinger profile |
 J.R. Smith | Guard 6-6 | 220 | Age: 23 Hollinger profile |
 Carmelo Anthony | Small Forward 6-8 | 230 | Age: 24 Hollinger profile |
 Renaldo Balkman | Forward6-8 | 208 | Age: 24 Hollinger profile |
 Kenyon Martin | Power Forward 6-9 | 240 | Age: 30 Hollinger profile |
 Linas Kleiza | Forward6-8 | 245 | Age: 23 Hollinger profile |
 Nene | Center 6-11 | 250 | Age: 26 Hollinger profile |
 Chris Andersen | Forward 6-10 | 228 | Age: 30 Hollinger profile |
Probably no true bust here, but I'm leery of Iverson, whose grace is pretty much confined to the hardwood. Or have you forgotten A.I.'s ugly departure from Philadelphia, when the Sixers essentially suspended him till they got a deal done? I mention this because it is a realistic possibility that the now-frugal Nuggets will look to move Iverson sometime this season.
... someone can fill the void left by Marcus Camby?
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This play will win the game and further the development of J.R. Smith, thus making the Nuggets better both immediately and in the future. Carmelo is on the right wing and AI on the left. Kenyon inbounds the ball to J.R. and then jogs along the right side of the court before cutting to the rim along the baseline.
Nene sets a high screen for J.R. driving to his right. J.R. can dive and score, pass to a rolling Nene, throw a lob to Kenyon or, with the defense collapsing, kick out to Melo or AI for an open jumper.
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
He might have his lapses, but don't get it twisted: J.R. Smith can flat-out score.
George Karl
Experience: 20 years Record: 879-614
Playoffs: 62-83
NBA titles: 0
Coach's profile
For the first time in a few years, no one on the Nuggets, including George Karl, thinks this team can just show up without putting up a massive fight and expect to earn a playoff spot. So perhaps Karl may have, finally, the ability to get his players to grind out a game with toughness and tenacity.
Without Marcus Camby inside, the Denver perimeter guys must focus on keeping players in front of them. And all five guys on the court will need to crash the glass as well. Karl may not have any patience in the early going, expecting wholesale changes if this team of two stars is not successful right away.
• David Thorpe, Scouts Inc.
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