No Melo? No Problem!

Denver Nuggets Owner Josh Kroenke and General Manager Masai Ujiri have been very pleased so far since the blockbuster trade of All-Star player Carmelo Anthony.

"We got killed on the trade, but we knew we would still be competitive," said first year General Manager Masai Ujiri.

The Nuggets are a surprising 5-2 since breaking up with their former superstar and they have no regrets.

“We always knew we would be a competitive team,” said Nuggets Head Athletic Trainer Jim Gillen. “The new guys are playing with a lot of pride and everyone seems to be meshing well.”

The team that was supposed to do a swan dive in the standings but has actually moved up to the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoff race and only 3 ½ games behind Oklahoma City for the Northwest Division lead.

“We just have so many guys that can score. We now have balance and several guys that can score like 16, 18, 20,” said Nugget Point Guard Ty Lawson, who just had his first NBA double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. “Not one guy getting 30-something and the rest of us having 8.”

However, players aren’t the only ones revitalized by the trade. Head Coach George Karl, fresh off his new three-year contract extension, has been having fun experimenting with the lineups.

“He loves coaching players in these situations,” said Gillen. “There is not one superstar, and he has a lot of young guys who he enjoys coaching.”

For now, spirits are up for the youthful Nuggets and expectations have not changed.

“I think we have a chance to go deep in the playoffs and surprise a lot of teams,” said Gillen. “We have the surprise factor and no team will know who to guard. Nothing about this team would surprise me.”