Pregame: The Return of Melo

Today is finally the day that Carmelo Anothony returns to the Denver line-up! What to expect? Nothing short of sheer offensive dominance! Even though Melo was on suspension for 36 days, he was still allowed to practice with the team, and prepare for the best two man offense of our era. Iverson & Melo are averaging a combined 60 ppg this season. When you put them together with J.R. Smith, Marcus Camby (one of the best defensive players in the league) and Nene (who seems to be getting into better shape now), you have a top 3 Western Conf team. Since its still early in the year, the Nuggets have time to mesh, and possibly compete with the Suns & Mavs for the top spot in the west. One concern that I have is their bench. Guys like Steve Blake, Yakhouba Diawara & Linas Kleiza have shown signs of promise while Melo was out. All 3 of them can be potential 3 point threats. Hopefully they will continue to progress, so that the starters can take a little breather now & then.

This situation has great hobby potential for Iverson's cards to make a long overdue comeback, and Melo's to continue their upward trend. As long as egos can be kept in check, we should be able to witness something very spectacular.