Carmelo Anthony represented the peak of a decade for the Denver Nuggets and made a lasting impact on the franchise. In fact, it is still being felt in a very big way in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
With Anthony officially wrapping a bow on a 19-year career that will likely be enshrined in Springfield, it is now the proper time to thoroughly reflect on his time in Denver, including the eventful end. A blockbuster 2011 trade sent the 10-time All-Star to the New York Knicks for a colossal haul that is headlined by a slew of first-round draft picks.
One of those became star guard Jamal Murray, as The Atheltic's Mike Vorkunov so timely reminds fans. A pick swap in the 2016 NBA Draft ahead of Anthony's final season in New York sent the Canadian native and Kentucky product to the Nuggets at the No. 7 slot. He is now on verge of helping them achieve their greatest accomplishment in franchise history- an NBA Finals appearance.
Murray has left the Los Angeles Lakers completely stumped in the first three games of the Western Conference Finals, scoring 37 points in each of Denver's last two victories. The 26-year-old is taking that next step into stardom, averaging nearly 28 points per game on 41 percent shooting from 3-point land. He has also gotten his teammates involved in the fun with 6.2 assists a night.
It would be a fitting tribute to the Nuggets legacy of Carmelo Anthony if this group led by Nikola Jokic and Murray can finally get over the hump by knocking off the very team that denied the former No. 3 pick his best chance at an NBA Championship.
It's the least they can do considering Anthony left Denver with a fantastic parting gift more than a decade ago.
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