The Denver Nuggets are off to a 2-0 start in the 2009 season. Carmelo Anthony has scored 71 points in 2 games (35.5 ppg avg) and has put the team on his back when they needed it the most. The Nuggets first 2 games have been played against tough division rivals, Portland Trailblazers and Utah Jazz. Not only were the matchups tough, the Nuggets were missing J.R. Smith, one of the best shooters and overall scorers in the NBA. Smith is serving a 7 game suspension in response to the accidental death of his friend from a couple years ago (read story here). 

Last season, Chauncey Billups came over from Detroit and brought a team-first attitude to the Nuggets. Chauncey had championships under his belt and a NBA Finals MVP Award. What Chauncey said and did made a real difference with his Nuggets teammates. Chauncey became the team leader, even though it was his first season with the Nuggets. Fans and critics noticed that Carmelo appeared to take a step backwards, at least statistically. His scoring avg. went down and he didn't always get the ball when the game was on the line (see career stats here). In reality, what Carmelo did was put the team first and did whatever it took to help the team win.

It looks like Carmelo Anthony has learned from Billups and has taken even more a leadership role this year. Knowing that J.R. Smith was out, Carmelo has been very aggressive on offense and it has produced big wins for the Nuggets. As Charles Barkley said after the Nuggets win over the Trailblazers, Carmelo is the best pure scorer in the NBA. It appears that Melo has made an effort to be more of a scoring threat, which gives the Nuggets their best chance to win. The great thing about Melo's hot start is that he's not only scoring more, he's getting rebounds and playing championship level defense. This season, Carmelo is putting the team on his back and the team is ready to follow his lead. Although it's only 2 games into the season, Carmelo looks like a legitimate MVP candidate.