The FIBA Americas international basketball tournament is now over, and Carmelo Anthony has set the all-time record for most points scored in an Olympic qualifying tournament. For Nuggets fans, seeing Carmelo score the rock is no surprise. But on a team including prolific scorers like Lebron James (18.1) and Kobe Bryant (15.3), it was Carmelo's 21.2 points per game which led the USA to a Gold medal and a spot in next summer's Beijing Olympic Games. Perhaps even more impressive, yet overshadowed by his title as best offensive player in international basketball, was the fact that Carmelo was second on the team in rebounds at 5.2 per game. Had Melo got one more rebound, he would have led the team surpassing Dwight Howard's 5.3 average. Lets not forget his efficiency either; at 19.4 minutes per game (4th on the team) Melo not only scored over a point per minute, but only turned the ball over 4 times throughout the entire tournament. Denver's own Chauncey Billups (8) nor Jason Kidd (5) couldn't match that...not even in less minutes! And while we're talking efficiency, it'd be injustice of me not to mention Anthony's 58% three point average on 26 of 45 shooting and 64% from inside the arc.

So what does this mean for Nuggets fans? Good things obviously and if you're not a Nuggets fan its probably scary watching Anthony's consistent improvement. I watched the USA at the World Championships last year and every game again this summer during the Olympic qualifier. Melo will attribute his success to wider lanes and a more physical game. Kobe Bryant calls Melo the best off-the-ball player in the World. What I've taken away though, is that Carmelo is one of those players that will play better - the better teammates he's playing with. That said, I think the pressure falls off Melo and onto the rest of the Nuggets' team. With a Jay Cutler type introduction season last year, the new Nuggets now have some time under their belt. They formed an identity towards the end of the season and don't expect it to take that long this year. The chemistry has had time to evolve between A.I. and Carmelo. Chucky Atkins brings better shooting and more range. K-Mart adds depth and toughness provided he can accept a back up roll to Nene. J.R. Smith has reason to play with passion. Camby will be Camby. Kleiza, Najera, and Evans round out a deep and relentless bench. So while Kobe struggles to carry the Lakers, watch for Melo to lead his supporting cast to the Western Conference Finals.

-Jim Toft

September 4, 2007