Long-Time NBA Forward Has Clear Stance on Carmelo Anthony's Nuggets Tenure
Long-Time NBA Forward Has Clear Stance on Carmelo Anthony's Nuggets Tenure originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
From his peak from 2005 to 2017, during stints with both the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony was one of the best scorers in the NBA.
Advertisement
One of the true three-level scorers in the league, he could get a bucket from anywhere. Nicolas Batum has long been one of the best defenders in the NBA, and has guarded players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, and other elite scorers.
However, Anthony's offensive versatility gave Batum more trouble than anyone else.
Mar 29, 2010; Dallas, TX, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony (15) smiles after a foul during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Arena. The Mavs beat the Nuggets 109-93© Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images
Between 2005 and 2010, in Denver, Anthony averaged 26.4 points on 47.1 percent shooting from the floor.
"Denver Melo was crazy, like at the beginning of my career," detailed Nicolas Batum. "So I was young, I was skinny, and my job was starting, but I had to guard the best opponent and Denver Melo, I always said, he had everything. He was strong first but post up, drive, 3s, pull up, iso, jab, like turnaround, bully ball, like everything."
Advertisement
Out of everyone Batum had to guard, Melo was the biggest handful.
"I always say he's the toughest guy I had to guard in my career."
Batum, unlike Anthony, is still playing and expects to suit up for the Los Angeles Clippers this season. He and Anthony played against each other in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, although Anthony and Team USA got the best of France in both matchups.
Check out the Inside the Nuggets homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.
Related: Nuggets Listed as Favorites to Land All-Defensive Wing Behind Lakers, Mavericks
Related: Nuggets Predicted to Trade Star Forward in 3-Team Mock Trade Involving Lakers, Nets
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
33 minutes ago
- Forbes
Riley Gaines And Simon Biles Clash Over Trans Athlete Debate
Olympic gymnast Simon Biles and former collegiate swimmer turned-right-wing activist Riley Gaines traded barbs Friday over a transgender softball champion, whom Gaines called a boy before Biles stepped in to defend the player on X, formerly known as Twitter. Biles and Gaines exchanged words on X on Friday. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images) Gaines, an outspoken critic of transgender athletes in women's sports, pointed out the Minnesota State High School League removed comments from a post showing the winners of a softball state championship, with Gaines insisting the turned-off comments were to 'be expected when your star player is a boy.' Biles responded to Gaines' tweet a few hours later, calling her 'truly sick' and saying her campaigning against transgender athletes was all because she lost a race in college, referring to Gaines' fifth-place tie with trans swimmer Lia Thomas in a NCAA freestyle championship event in 2022. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
New York Post
33 minutes ago
- New York Post
Michael Beasley posts raunchy message after epic $100K one-on-one win over Lance Stephenson
Michael Beasley didn't wait long to bust out some outlandish talk after defeating Lance Stephenson in their hyped one-on-one matchup for $100,000. The former Lakers teammates were the main event of the TNC 02 pay-per-view basketball event in Miami on Friday night and delivered what they considered one of the top one-on-one games ever. 5 Michael Beasley celebrates beating Lance Stephenson in a one-on-one game for $100K on Friday night. Overtime/IG Advertisement Beasley bested Stephenson, 31-21, to cash the big check with injured Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving in attendance. Stephenson, 34, cordially tagged the 36-year-old Beasley in an Instagram story after the heated matchup and wrote: 'Great game bro.' That's when things got weird. Advertisement Beasley, who played 74 games for the Knicks in 2017-18, responded to the message with one of his own and somehow dragged the Kardashian into the fray. 'I love you to the moon and back… Now grab a cigarette and a towel… We made a sex tape Kim K would envy,' Beasley wrote back with three crying laughing emojis. 5 Michael Beasley posts raunchy message after $100K win over Lance Stephenson in epic one-on-one battle Michael Beasley/Instagram Advertisement The game itself had a little bit of everything, even if Beasley never trailed after a fast 4-0 start that had Irving on commentary saying he 'would never' want to play Beasley one-on-one Stephenson even got feisty with the ref and fans at points, but it wasn't enough to beat Beasley. Beasley, who played 11 seasons in the NBA, never quite reached the lofty expectations of being the No. 2 pick overall by the Heat in 2008. 5 Michael Beasley (r.) and Lance Stephenson battle in a one-on-one game for $100K on Friday night. Overtime/Instagram Advertisement He was the better scorer between him and Stephenson, averaging 12.4 points per game for his career. Stephenson, the Coney Island product, played 10 seasons in the NBA, including seven with the Pacers. 5 Lance Stephenson #6 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates during the 108-90 win over the Toronto Raptors at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 4, 2017. Getty Images 5 Knicks forward Michael Beasley (8) drives as he is defended by Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the second quarter in 2017. Bill Kostroun/New York Post He was one of the best defenders of his era after being drafted 40th overall in 2010 — as he and LeBron James had some epic playoff battles. Stephenson averaged 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for his career.
Washington Post
36 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Belmont Stakes at Saratoga is a Kentucky Derby rematch
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The Triple Crown concludes Saturday with the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes . The race is a rematch between Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty and runner-up Journalism, who is the favorite after winning the Preakness . Derby third-place finisher Baeza also is in the field of eight.
