Golden nugget

Denver ecstatic to get Anthony with third pick

The Nuggets feel like they got a No. 1-quality pick in Anthony Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/ Getty Images

DENVER (AP) -- Calling Carmelo Anthony a "complete player" and a "great character guy," the Denver Nuggets made the Syracuse forward the third pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-8 Anthony, who led Syracuse to the national championship this spring, fell to the Nuggets after Cleveland, as expected, took LeBron James at No. 1 and Detroit claimed Darko Milicic at No. 2.

"I really do think we got the guy we wanted," Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. "We're overjoyed to have Carmelo."

Vandeweghe said Anthony "has a star quality to him and some charisma. He also has a real feel for the game. He reminds me of (former Nuggets star) Alex English in that regard."

Vandeweghe called Anthony a key element in the plan to rebuild a moribund franchise which has had 11 losing seasons in the last 13 years, including a 17-65 record last season. The Nuggets also expect to have about $18 million in salary-cap room to spend on free agents this summer.

In what was considered a three-player draft, the Nuggets got the player who may make the most immediate impact in the NBA.

"Many people think he might be the best player in the draft, and from a biased standpoint we do, too," Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik said.

Vandeweghe said character is an important trait to him and the Nuggets, and "Carmelo certainly has that in abundance. He's a tremendous young man besides being a great basketball player. I think he's going to be a great addition to the NBA community.

"He's a really complete basketball player. He'll be a definite contributor, if not a real impact player, almost immediately."

Anthony averaged 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds last season, leading his team in scoring and rebounding and becoming the consensus national freshman of the year. He also averaged 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds in six NCAA tournament games.

Bzdelik believes Anthony's year of college experience will prove vital.

"Next year is a pivotal year for all of us, and to get a player who has that extra year under his belt I think is huge and I think it will be an asset," Bzdelik said. "He has played on TV in front of millions, playing on the big stage in a national championship game, and he didn't melt. He stepped up. He performed."

Prior to the draft, Vandeweghe fielded several trade offers for the No. 3 pick.

"We had a lot of offers for our pick -- some interesting but nothing remotely close," Vandeweghe said.

Anthony said he was "real happy to be a part of the Nuggets family. I know what I can bring to the team."

His mother, Mary, was overcome with joy when Carmelo was selected.

"My mother supported me for 19 years," Anthony said. "Right now I have a chance to give a lot of things back to her. I don't want her to ever need anything."

With their choice in the second round (46th player overall), the Nuggets took Slovenian guard Sani Becirovic.

Then they acquired Chinese forward/center Xue Yuyang from the Dallas Mavericks, who took Yuyang as the 57th player overall, in exchange for a second-round pick next year.

Becirovic, who didn't play last season after having surgery on both knees to correct a growth defect, is expected to remain in Europe for a season or two for development, as will Yuyang in China.

 

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