Despite a summer filled with doubts and rumors regarding Carmelo Anthony’s future and whether he might be headed to New Jersey or New York, Anthony is still with the Denver Nuggets as the team heads into its season opener against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
“From day one, despite everything that was being said, I always believed I was going to be there for the first game,” said Anthony.
In June, Anthony declined a three-year, $65 million extension contract from the Nuggets, and since then, his teammates were unsure if he would be sticking around.
“I definitely had doubts,” said point guard Chauncey Billups. “But the further along it went, the further I took myself out of it. I’m not going to stress myself, worrying about what’s going to happen. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. He’s here right now and we look to rock and roll early in the season.”
Although Anthony is still a current and active member of the Nuggets’ roster, for how long this will remain is uncertain. The Nuggets have until the February trade deadline to deal Anthony. If they do not, the team will risk losing him through free agency next summer. Anthony would be the headliner of the 2011 class.
Deals with both the New Jersey Nets and the New York Knicks fell apart, leaving Anthony with the Nuggets as they open against the Jazz, the team that eliminated the Nuggets in the first round of playoffs last spring.
“I think the NBA was reading my mind. They granted my wish,” said Anthony. “I wanted Utah the first game. I know there’s going to be a lot of excitement. They got us out in the playoffs last year. We kept that in mind.”
Despite the circumstance surrounding his future, Anthony said this season opener feels like any other. He is not concerned about how fans may greet him as he walks on to the Pepsi Center floor, and has no emotion about the possibility this may be his last season as a Nuggets player.
“I have no worries, man,” said Anthony. “Life is good.”
