Melo out man

I could tell you that it's too early to start panicking, but that would be no fun. I could tell you that all young players in the NBA go through "adjustment" periods because of the tremendous stress put on them, but that's what the league's marketing department wants you to believe. \nSo since I decided to jump on a bandwagon containing sportswriters from all across the country, I'm gonna totally overreact and rip Carmelo Anthony a new one for the way he has played so far this season.\nThe Denver Nuggets are off to a disappointing 1-4 start, and of course, Anthony is going to take the blame simply because he is the franchise player. There could be a ton of reasons why the Nuggets stink, like the fact that Jeff Bzdelik couldn't coach his way out of a paper sack, the lack of team chemistry because of the addition of new players in the offseason or simply the fact that they are the Denver Nuggets. But no, I want to overreact and call out an individual player for the failings of an entire team because that's just the kind of guy I am.\nFirst off, I have to point out the obvious flaw in Carmelo's game: He is not, nor will he ever be LeBron James. He's averaging 20.8 points per game in his young NBA career -- LeBron is averaging 21.2, a little more effort please Mr. Anthony, sheesh. He's also only averaging .5 more rebounds per game than King James. What Carmelo? You can't beat him by more than that? You spent a whole year honing your skills in college. \nNext, I have to point out that Melo is no good in the clutch. I mean, sure, in his first year the lowly Nuggets were 26 wins better than the year before, but what does that prove? He also led them to the playoffs for the first time in nine years, but he couldn't even get them out of the first round. \nOK, I'll admit that before he came around the Nuggets were the most mismanaged team since the Chico's Bail Bonds Bears, and maybe he gave their franchise a bit of hope and direction. But who knows, if Detroit had taken Melo, Darko Milicic might have become the great savior of the Nuggets ... OK, maybe not. I mean, on the court Darko looks more lost than Stevie Wonder in a forest.\nAnother thing, why isn't Carmelo smiling anymore? It looks bad on camera to see him get serious at key points in the game. Lighten up, man. I mean, I don't want to see you take your job seriously. Who cares if you win as long as I'm entertained? \nAlso, I don't want to hear you complain about playing time anymore, Mr. Anthony. Sure you were on a terrible team this summer in Athens and you thought you could play with more fire and intensity than some of the laid-back veterans, but keep that to yourself. You shouldn't talk like that because then people might figure out that Larry Brown is just an average coach. We wouldn't want that house of cards to fall, now would we?\nAnthony was also cited for marijuana possession last month, but I'm not going to hold that against him. I mean, you aren't really an NBA player until you get your first pot citation anyway.\nIn the end, it is important to consider one thing: If Melo really is the classic selfish superstar who only wants what's best for himself and not his team, it could be worse ... he could be Kobe Bryant.