NBA Update: Carmelo Anthony honours his Denver Nuggets fans
Carmelo Anthony, who was traded to the New York Knicks on February 22nd, in a chartbuster pact, wrote a letter to his former team's fans on Thursday. The letter comes ten days after finishing a relation of over seven
years from the Denver Nuggets in a messy manner.
In the letter Anthony expressed his “gratitude” and “appreciation” to the fans. He posted the message on his website telling Nuggets fans "you will always be a part of my heart."
The letter was titled "A note to my Denver fans," in which Anthony thanked the Nuggets for "embracing" him.
“I had to let you know how I felt about you, the city, my fans, my friends. You’ve been supportive of me and my NBA career for the past 8 years and that doesn’t go unnoticed.
Drafted when I was 19 I called Denver and the Nuggets my home. The city and the fans embraced me and watched me grow as a man and a player.
There are no words to express the gratitude and appreciation I have for Denver, the Nuggets and all the fans.
You will always be a part of my heart.
One Love
Melo”
Although Anthony literally pushed his way out of Denver, but asserted that he still loves Denver fans and really is grateful to them for all the support and love they had given him in the past. Certainly, he has enthused to the
next level of his career. But he didn’t forget his former team’s fans. That’s why he left this goodbye note on his web site.
Many in Denver believe that the season long Melo-drama had a negative effect on the Nuggets’ campaign and he was merely a cause of distraction for the play-off contenders. The Bronchos’ resurgent 5-1 record after his departure
further supports that claim.
Anthony came into the limelight, when he declined Nuggets' three-year, $65 million extension proposal in the offseason, setting the stage for months of gossips and guesswork about his future. Last week though, two days before the
trade deadline, the Nuggets finally put a full stop by completing the trade and sent Anthony to the New York Knicks.
Anthony led the Nuggets to two division titles and to the playoffs every year from 2004 onwards. He led the Nuggets advance to the Conference Finals in 2009 for the first time since 1985. In spite of Anthony’s so many contributions,
Nuggets coach George Karl criticised Anthony in an interview three days after the deal.
The legendary coach said that Anthony's "defensive focus, his demand of himself, is what frustrated us more than anything."
Anthony did not take his ex-coach’s claims lightly and went all-out against him with an insulting twitter rant. The comments by Anthony were a vivid description in itself of how Anthony passed his last days at Denver.
Anthony is averaging 26 points in his first five games with the Knicks with 41 percent shooting. Knicks has won three games so far out five since Anthony's arrival.
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