NBA: What Happened to the Rivalry Between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony?

They were two young stars with unique and special abilities on the basketball court. They had recently played in a high-attention scholastic contest against each other. They were both selected in the same draft.

The LeBron James-Carmelo Anthony was supposed to be the best individual rivalry since Magic-Bird.

But while the relationship between Bird and Johnson is dramatized in a new Broadway play, Anthony and James will meet for the 15th time in their careers and do so without much fanfare.

James and Anthony first met in a USA developmental camp in 2001. Much like how Johnson raved about Bird after they played together on a college All-Star team playing in an international tournament, James couldn’t stop talking about how Anthony. The two squared off in a high school showcase game the following year that pitted the player regarded as the best senior in the country (Anthony) against the one that was the best junior in the country (James), a game Anthony’s team would win.

After Anthony spent a year at Syracuse and James finished his high school career both were selected in the 2003 NBA Draft, James first overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Anthony third overall to the Denver Nuggets.

The rivalry was supposed to take off from there. Both were top draft picks and successful scorers. They both played small forward and could match up against each other.

The similarities continue throughout their careers as both played together on the previous gold-medal winning Olympic team and inspired much dislike from fans after the ways both players went about changing teams.

The rivalry, however, always felt forced, unnatural.

The first game against each other would be a perfect indication of how the rivalry would develop over the years.

The hype for the first NBA game against each other was high but it was for a meaningless game in early November in which both players failed to really make an impact on the game. Anthony played 39 minutes but only scored 14 points on six for 17 shooting. James played 41 minutes and did have 11 rebounds and seven assists, but he only scored seven points and shot a measly 27-percent from the field. The Nuggets won that game 93-89.

The Magic and Bird rivalry started off so strong because they were thrust into an already existing rivalry that was larger than themselves.

The Celtics and Lakers was an already established rivalry. They were the most successful franchises in NBA history that had some memorable battles for the NBA championship as well as individual player subplots. There was a rivalry before Magic and Bird and there was one after them.

Denver and Cleveland were only linked together because of James and Anthony. They haven’t met with much on the line and with both superstars moving on to new teams, there’s not much too exciting about the match-up now.

Johnson and Bird motivated each other because they both knew they would have to go through the other to win the championship, something both had the most burning desire to do multiple times. With Anthony and James, winning just hasn’t been part of the equation.

Neither player has a ring, and while LeBron has lost in the finals twice, Anthony hasn’t been nearly as “successful” in the playoffs as James has. Anthony has played in the playoffs every year since his rookie season, but has only made it out of the first round once (in the 2008-09 season the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference finals before losing to the Lakers 4-2).

With James on the Heat and Anthony on the Knicks, both are now in the Eastern Conference and the possibility of them playing each other in the playoffs increases, including this year where a first-round match-up seems like a strong possibility.

If the two can play each other with greater stakes the rivalry may intensify, but until then the matchups will be second-rate.

While Anthony’s teams haven’t matched the success of James’ teams, Anthony also hasn’t achieved the individual honors that LeBron has.



Over his career James has averaged more points, rebounds, assists and blocks per game and also has a better shooting percentage than Anthony. James has been on the All-Defensive First Team three times while Anthony is criticized for not taking his defensive responsibilities seriously. James won the Rookie of the Year award the first year both players were in the NBA and has been an All-Star three more times.

James has outscored Anthony 10 of the 14 times the two have met. He is a two-time league MVP (with a good chance to win the award again this year) while Anthony has never won the award. In fact, Anthony has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting only once in his career (sixth in 2010).

Finally, do these players even buy into the idea that they are rivals?

The NBA, for better or worse, has become quite the “buddy-buddy” league, where players have known each other for long periods of time and are good friends. With the recent phenomenon of creating “super teams”, where the best players team up with other elite players in an effort to win a championship together, the superstars in the league today have been criticized for not having the competitive drive to want to beat each other.

If James and Anthony don’t consider themselves rivals, then how can the public see it that way?

James and Anthony are obviously two talented basketball players. They bring a lot of star power to the game and are certainly entertaining to watch play on the same court together.

But the rivalry that was marketed by the NBA when they first entered the league never really grew further than that.

Photo Credits.
James and Anthony: AP Photo/Alan Diaz
Johnson and Bird: AP Photo/Lennox McLendon

Will Anyone Root for the 2012 USA Men's Basketball Team?

NBA players have been allowed to participate in the Summer Olympics five times now, starting with the original Dream Team in 1992.

The goal was not only to raise the quality of play but to increase the NBA’s brand around the globe using its most talented and likable stars.

The first team in 1992 went to Spain as rock stars. Jordan. Bird. Magic. Barkley. Fans fawned over them everywhere they went and opposing players were in awe of them.
It doesn’t hurt, either, that they played for the USA and there’s nationalistic pride at stake in the Olympics.

USA Basketball has put together a pool of 20 players that this summer’s team will be comprised of. The talent level is extremely high, with some analysts even thinking they could beat the original Dream Team.

A different question to ask, however, is if anybody will actually root for this squad?

The players will be wearing red, white and blue but they could be hearing plenty of boos. While the team has yet to be finalized it seems as if there are some players as close to locks to make the team as possible.



LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard should all make the team and while the point guard position is a crowded one it’s very possible Deron Williams could make the team as well. They haven’t been making too many NBA fans happy lately though.

Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research conducted a survey of the NBA’s most disliked players that was released in December. James (No. 2), Wade (9), Bosh (6), Bryant (3) and Anthony (7) were all featured on the list (Lamar Odom, who was No. 10 on the list, is also a finalist for the USA Olympic team). The free-agency situations and coaching drama that has surrounded Howard and Williams the past two seasons could also put them on an updated version of that list.

Some of the hatred is jealousy; The Heat and Lakers are good teams, so those compilations of talent forming together creates a lot of attention that other fans wish they had on their team. That doesn’t mean that these players haven’t done things to turn fans away.

The Heat trio came together in a strong show of arrogance, with their rockstar like pep-rally. The constant moaning about how everyone hates them and they are blamed for everything is annoying. The mocking of Dirk Nowitzki and how he was sick in last summer’s NBA Finals was childish.

Mostly though, the dislike goes to LeBron James, whose “Decision” was an ill-advised promotion that seemed self-centered and upset many fans, especially the fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who without being mentioned felt that their loyalty meant nothing.

Bryant has frequently been viewed as a bad teammate and one of the biggest complainers to referees in the league. His cockiness also irritates fans.

Anthony made some enemies last year when he forced his way out of Denver. Anthony always seemed to be distant from his team, looked uninterested during the games and talked about his desire to be traded, especially to the New York Knicks. Then with the Knicks, he came out of the lockout out of shape, got hurt and Knicks fans believed that he would ruin the excitement and team chemistry generated by the arrival of Jeremy Lin.

While most fans dislike the first four mentioned because of character issues, Anthony’s style of play is widely criticized as well as his persona. His slow-the-ball down isolation play seems selfish and his lack of defensive abilities makes him look like he is not a team player.

Williams has made a number of enemies in the likes of Utah Jazz fans. He reportedly got into an argument with long-time Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. When Sloan resigned days later, many placed the blame on Williams, who hasn’t really shed his coach-killer reputation.



When he was traded to the Nets he complained about the deal. He’s been noncommittal about his future there, but with comments about how he dislikes the arena they play in (although it is the final year there before the Nets move to Brooklyn) and his recent “Nineteen days” countdown, he can’t be charming too many people.

Howard has held the Magic hostage this year. He’s flip-flopped on his desire to stay with Orlando past his contract and has recently reportedly asked the Magic to fire coach Stan Van Gundy. Howard has sparked a media circus around Orlando this season that has directly affected the play of the team and will only continue into next season.

Add his penchant to get technical fouls called from referees and the times he loses his cool to elbow an opponent and get suspended and it leaves fans to wonder if all the histrionics and drama are worth the incredible talent.

A player has a right to act any way he wants to on the court. He also has the right to play for whatever team he wants once his contract expires. All fans want to see is effort and some acknowledgment that they are appreciated.

When a star bad mouths his team, the city or a successful coach the fans get fed up, which leads to certain names going onto the list of the most disliked players in the league.

So if these guys, collectively, make so many fans groan in disgust, will there be anything beyond nationalism that propels fans to root for them as a group this summer?

Photo Credits.
James, Wade and Bosh (top): AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
Carmelo Anthony (right): AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Deron Williams (left): AP Photo/Alex Gallardo

Golden Ticket

Photo credits. AP Photo/ Jack Dempsey

The Denver Nuggets are the hottest team in the NBA playoffs right now. They aren’t the flavor of the month though; this squad has everything it takes to be a legitimate championship contender.

Denver is a great all-around team and it all starts with head coach George Karl.

A former NBA player himself, Karl is the 12th-winningest coach in NBA history. In 21 seasons, only three times has he not been in the playoffs (he was fired before the season’s completion twice in the 1980’s). Prior to this year’s playoff success, he took the Milwaukee Bucks to an Eastern Conference Finals, and took the Seattle SuperSonics to the Western Conference Finals twice, once advancing to the NBA Finals. Karl is a proven winner who gets the most out of his players.

A huge reason for the Nuggets’ recent success was the acquisition of Chauncey Billups. His impact on the Nuggets has been like Kevin Garnett’s on the Boston Celtics last year, absolutely changing the franchise for the better. Denver had lost in the first round of the playoffs the past five seasons and hadn’t reached the second round since the 1993-1994 season.

Conversely, Billups has been to the conference finals with the Detroit Pistons the past six consecutive seasons (now seven with Denver’s series win over Dallas), been to the NBA Finals twice, won the championship once, and was named the 2004 NBA Finals MVP.

Nicknamed Mr. Big Shot, Billups is one of the best clutch players in the NBA, and his veteran leadership has turned around the atmosphere in Denver.

In order to get Billups, the Nuggets had to trade the extremely talented, but controversial and malcontent superstar Allen Iverson. Iverson’s departure combined with what Billups has brought to the table has made the team chemistry skyrocket and players are finally realizing their potential.

Carmelo Anthony is one who has benefitted from the trade. He is one of the top offensive players in the NBA, but this season he’s finally developed into a team leader. His experience with the 2008 U.S. Olympic basketball team coupled with Billups’ arrival has matured Anthony.



One huge advantage, literally and figuratively, is how good the Nuggets frontcourt rotation is. Denver has three very good bigs, who all have a rare combination of being aggressive and physical as well as athletic.

Nene and Kenyon Martin are both extremely physical players, on offense and defense, that wear down the opposing post players. Martin has had a resurgence in his career as of late, realizing how effective he is as a role player whose strengths are defense and rebounding.

Chris Anderson is the third part of Denver’s frontcourt triumvirate. Another player who has seemed to mature as the season has gone on, “Birdman” is an incredible leaper with extremely long arms. He uses both to get up on offense and make exciting dunks, as well as alter shots on defense.

Continuing with the theme of maturity, sixth man J.R. Smith has put aside his selfish play and poor attitude (that has also led to him being suspended twice) to become instant offense off the bench and a regular and consistent contributor to the surging Nuggets.

While Denver’s offense can keep pace with the best of them, what makes them a complete team is their effort on the defensive end of the court.

While Nene, Martin, and Anderson are all good post defenders Denver also has good perimeter defenders as well. Dahntay Jones, once considered another Duke alum that could not be a contributor on the professional level, has become a starter for the Nuggets because of his exceptional perimeter defense. And although he is seldom used, Renaldo Balkman is an energetic defender who can come off the bench to help Jones. Backup point guard Anthony Carter has also been effective off the bench.

The Nuggets have everything a championship team needs: a good coach, a star offensive player, a player that thrives in clutch situations, a versatile and deep frontcourt, good defenders, and excellent contributions from the bench, not to mention they are playing their best basketball at the most important time of the year.

Denver is the perfect storm right now, and they have a real shot at winning their first championship in franchise history.