As he preps himself for the rigors of another season, Carmelo Anthony moves forward as the Denver Nuggets’ franchise player with perhaps more expectations than he’s ever had as a pro.

Last year, by many a hoops analyst’s opinion, he was recognized as perhaps the most efficient scorer in the league. At times he reminded us of a young George Gervin. Elegant and crafty, he made 30 look as easy as a routine trip to the gas station; especially on December 10th when he netted 33 in a quarter, tying the former Spurs legend for the most points in a quarter – EVER.

On other occasions, he showed a willingness to bang, mixing it up with the bigs and giving smaller guards and forwards hell in a handbag. Unsurprisingly, his efforts produced all star caliber numbers – 23, 7 and 3 – even if he missed the bid to prove it. For his trouble, Melo and his Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals, where they met and were eventually defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The bittersweet end to his 2008-2009 season unfortunately came on his birthday, but Melo and the Nuggets retooled over the summer adding depth to an already deep squad.

“Hopefully the moves we made in the offseason will pay off,” he says. “I’m just looking forward to competing with the rest of my teammates this year.”

Among the new additions is former UNC standout Ty Lawson, a point guard who has shown the mettle of a seasoned veteran over the summer and in the Nuggets opener last night. Lawson was drafted to learn from Chauncey Billups, arguably the best floor general in the league, which he will most certainly do. Add JR Smith to the mix (when he gets back from suspension) and suddenly the Nuggets now have the makings of a futuristic backcourt.

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