Carlos Arroyo

Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermudez (born July 30, 1979 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico) is Puerto Rican professional basketball player. Arroyo is the fifth player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA and has become arguably the most successful of them in NBA history. Arroyo has played in the NBA, NCAA, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico (BSN) with the Cangrejeros de Santurce and Fajardo. Arroyo has played internationally in Spain. Arroyo was a member of the Puerto Rican National Basketball Team that most notably defeated the United States in the 2004 Olympic Games. He also represented his country in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Early career
* 2 Career with the Utah Jazz
* 3 Career with the Detroit Pistons
* 4 Career with the Orlando Magic
* 5 Arroyo with the Puerto Rican National Team
* 6 Career statistics
* 7 Personal life
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

[edit] Early career

Arroyo began his career in the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico, where he debuted with the Fajardo Cariduros and subsecuently played for the Santurce Crabbers, where he was a teammate of then starting center of the Puerto Rico national basketball team, José Ortíz. During his participation with the team the Crabbers won four consecutive national titles in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003, winning five league championships in six years. Arroyo studied in Florida International University from 1998 to 2001, where he played for the campus' team, the Golden Panthers.[1] He was a four-year letterman in the university having completed his baccalaureate and played with the team four years, establishing several records in the team's history. Among this records is the all-time lead in assists scored, having made 459 successful passes.[2] Arroyo is also the only player in Florida International University to have scored more than six hundred points in a single season.[2] He is in the second global possition in lifetime scoring, having scored 1,600 points troughout his universitary career, with an average of 16.0 points per game and 4.6 assists per game over his 100 games.[3] Arroyo was also selected as a member of the Sun Belt Conference's All-Star team on two separate occassions.[4] On January 5, 2007, Florida International University presented a ceremony where Arroyo's universitary number (30) was simbolically retired to recognize his performance with the institution's team.[5]

After graduating from college, Arroyo was signed by the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors for the 2001-02 NBA season, but was released in January 2002. He then played briefly in Spain before being signed by the Denver Nuggets in March of the same year. He saw limited action with those two teams, playing seventeen games with the Raptors and twenty with the Nuggets before his initial NBA season was over. He only played an average of 9.7 minutes per game during those thirty seven games where he saw action.

[edit] Career with the Utah Jazz

With the impending retirement of John Stockton, the Jazz needed a reliable replacement point guard. They envisioned Arroyo as being the player who could fill Stockton's shoes, acquiring him to start the 2002-03 NBA season. Arroyo was then relegated once again to watching from the bench, though head coach Jerry Sloan instructed Arroyo to observe Stockton and back-up guard Mark Jackson, who was also nearing retirement.

Arroyo was given the starting job after Stockton retired and Jackson joined the Houston Rockets before the start of the 2003-04 NBA season. He surprised many Jazz fans, and by November 2003 he was ranked 11th in the league in assists per game. On November 14, he broke the record for most points scored by a Puerto Rican in an NBA game, scoring 30 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

[edit] Career with the Detroit Pistons

During the 2004-05 NBA season with the Jazz, Arroyo had several disputes with Sloan. He eventually found himself back on the bench. In January 2005, Arroyo was traded to the Detroit Pistons for veteran center Elden Campbell (who would quickly be waived and later be reclaimed by the Pistons).

With the Pistons, Arroyo came within one game of becoming the second Puerto Rican to win an NBA championship. What was dubbed by some Hispanic newspapers as The Hispanic NBA Finals (because Arroyo played for the Pistons and Argentine Manu Ginobili starred for the San Antonio Spurs) was won by the Spurs, in seven games, with a final game score of 81-74. Arroyo's playing time was reduced significantly due to Larry Brown's tight defensive style.

Initially, with Pistons coach Flip Saunders' style of coaching, Arroyo received more minutes of playing time, and demonstrated value off the bench. He led the team in assists several times despite playing fewer minutes than other players. However, again, his minutes declined as the season progressed.

On January 11, 2006, Arroyo was suspended for one game after he allegedly ran into an official during the Pistons' 96-86 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on January 10.

[edit] Career with the Orlando Magic

On February 15 2006, Arroyo was dealt (along with Darko Miličić) from Detroit to the Orlando Magic, in exchange for Kelvin Cato and a future first-round draft choice.

The addition of Arroyo and Miličić, plus the return of point guard Jameer Nelson from the injured list, sparked a resurgence of the Magic in the last quarter of the 2005-2006 season, as they finished with a 12-3 run, nearly reaching the playoffs. During this run, the team had an 8-game winning streak, beating top teams such as the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons. During the stretch run, Arroyo averaged 22.1 MPG, 10.8 PPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.2 RPG off the bench, which earned Arroyo the back-up point guard position behind Nelson. These averages are significant improvements from the statistics he accumulated with the Pistons, when he averaged only 12 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 21 points against the Phoenix Suns on March 3 ,2006.

On April 9, 2006, Arroyo injured his left hamstring and was sidelined for 4 games, returning on April 17 and scoring 17 points in the last game of the season.

Arroyo started the 2006-07 season as the team's backup point guard but was demoted by the team's coach Brian Hill following an offensive slump, eventually returning to this position during mid season.

On December 29, 2007, Arroyo was promoted to the starting position after Nelson experienced a extended offensive slump.[6] With Nelson in the starting position during this period the team was having an average of seventeen turnovers per game, and he was unable to score in double digits on 10 out of 17 games.[6] This led to Stan Van Gundy issuing several public notices concerning the team's performance eventually leading to changes in the starting formation.[6] During Arroyo's first three games in the starting position the ammount of turnovers produced by the team was lowered to eleven per game.[6] Carlos' points average was within double digits in all of these games and he scored seventeen assists.[6][7]

[edit] Arroyo with the Puerto Rican National Team

While Arroyo has only seen moderate success in the NBA, he has become one of the best international point guards. During the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Arroyo led the Puerto Rican National Basketball Team throughout the competition with 18 points per game overall, and led them to a 92-73 victory over the United States with 25 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Arroyo was selected as All-Olympic honors.[8]

During the 2006 FIBA World Championship, Arroyo averaged 21.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 5.2 APG in five games for the Puerto Rican team. Arroyo finished tied for fourth in PPG during the 2006 FIBA World Championship with fellow Puerto Rican teammate Larry Ayuso.

[edit] Career statistics

Arroyo's NBA stats in 371 games with 93 games started are 2,591 points with a 7.0 PPG, 1,192 assists with a 3.2 APG, 619 rebounds with a 1.7 RPG, 207 steals with a 0.6 SPG, 17 blocks, .429 field goal percentage, .794 free-throw percentage, and .308 3-point percentage.

[edit] Personal life

Carlos Arroyo was born and raised on Fajardo, Puerto Rico. He graduated from Colegio Santiago Apostol in Fajardo. Arroyo is married and has a daughter, Gabriella Arroyo. On November 2, 2007 Carlos was forced to miss two games with the Orlando Magic when he had to make a emergency travel to Puerto Rico because his daughter was suffering from Pneumonia

Hilton Armstrong

Hilton A. Armstrong, Jr. (born November 23, 1984, in Peekskill, New York) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets. A former forward/center for the University of Connecticut Huskies. He was selected by the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (who have since moved out of their temporary Oklahoma City arena) with the 12th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. He is known for his shotblocking and athleticism.

[edit] College

After graduating from Peekskill High School, Armstrong started off slowly as a college athlete, averaging less than 4 points in each of first 3 seasons at UConn. However, he greatly improved his senior year averaging 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks, and shooting 61% from the field. He followed after his teammate Josh Boone and won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in the 2005-06 season.

Darrell Armstrong

Player profile

Armstrong has been long respected around the NBA for his intensity and hard-nosed defense. In his prime (1998-2000) he not only averaged double digit points per game, but also over two steals a game and over six assists. His defense is even more impressive than his numbers show because of his mastery of drawing charges.

[edit] Early life

Armstrong did not play basketball in high school until his senior year, and did not play again until his junior year of college.[1] Armstrong played college basketball at Fayetteville State University. After college he was not drafted by the NBA, but played in the Global Basketball Association and United States Basketball League as well as in Europe. He began his basketball career for a team in Larnaca, Cyprus called Pezoporikos.[citation needed]

[edit] NBA career

He first signed with the NBA as a free agent for the Orlando Magic in 1995. Armstrong won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1999 thus becoming the first player in NBA history to win both awards simultaneously. He subsequently became the starting point guard for the Magic. During his nine years in Orlando, the Magic never posted a losing record, making the post-season seven times. During the 2003 off-season, Armstrong signed with the New Orleans Hornets as a free agent. He was traded by the Hornets to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dan Dickau and a second round draft pick on December 3, 2004. After appearing in the 2005-2006 NBA Finals with the Mavericks, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for guard Anthony Johnson in July 2006.

Armstrong was released by the Pacers on October 1, 2007, and signed with the Nets after clearing waivers.[2][3]

[edit] Miscellaneous

Armstrong completed a reverse layup in the 1996 Slam Dunk Contest. The "dunk" was deemed the worst dunk in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history by Kenny Smith.[1]

On July 7, 2003, he was arrested after an incident outside an Orlando night club. He was subsequently charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer, but the case was eventually dismissed.[4]

On December 19th, 2005, while he was still with the Dallas Mavericks, Armstrong was fined $1,000 for grabbing a microphone before a Mavs game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center and yelling "How 'bout those Redskins!" Only a few hours prior, the Cowboys had been routed by the Redskins 35-7. Armstrong was raised in North Carolina as a Redskins fan.

Trevor Ariza

*

E-mail photo|Buy photos

2007-08 Statistics

PPG
5.3
RPG
2.80
APG
1.3
EFF
+ 7.34

Born: Jun 30, 1985
Height: 6-8 / 2,03
Weight: 210 lbs. / 95,3 kg.
College: UCLA
Years Pro: 3

Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (born January 6, 1982 in Tampa,[1] Florida[2]) is an American professional basketball player. As of November 2007, he plays for the NBA's Washington Wizards. Arenas overcame his modest NBA debut, including being a second-round draft pick, to establish himself as one of the most dominant and clutch players in the NBA.

From the time of his entry into the league, Arenas's popularity soared. He transformed himself from being a relative unknown to being voted by fans as an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference in 2007. Arenas overcame a 213,000 vote deficit at one point to edge out Vince Carter by just over 3,000 votes for the second of the two starting guard spots, the other spot going to Dwyane Wade.[3] Arenas was most often nicknamed "Agent Zero," but has increasingly been referred to as "Hibachi."[4] Both names have quickly become fan favorites in the Washington area.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Rise to prominence
o 1.1 2005-06 season
o 1.2 2006-07 season
* 2 Player profile
* 3 "Gilbertology"
* 4 Personal life
* 5 Awards/honors
o 5.1 Career records
o 5.2 NBA records
* 6 References
* 7 See also
* 8 External links

[edit] Rise to prominence

While going into the 2001 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona, Gilbert did not seem much of a prospect. Teams in the first round passed on Arenas because he lacked the size needed at the shooting guard position in the NBA and lacked the awareness and ball handling skills of a point guard. With no position solidified and a shaky prospect at best, he went the entire 1st round without being drafted. The Golden State Warriors finally drafted him in the second round (31st overall). Although the Warriors did not enjoy much team success during Arenas' tenure with them, he quickly established himself as one of the league's bright young talents. In 2003, his second year in the league, Arenas received the NBA Most Improved Player Award. After that season, he was one of the most sought-after free agents of the NBA. He signed with the Washington Wizards, reportedly after flipping a coin to decide among several teams, including the Wizards, Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers.[5]

Arenas had a disappointing first season with the Wizards, battling a strained abdominal muscle injury all season. However, Arenas enjoyed great success in his second season in Washington. He teamed up with shooting guard Larry Hughes (22.0 points per game) in 2004-05 to give the Wizards the highest scoring backcourt duo in the NBA and was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game. He guided the team to a 45-win season and its first playoff berth since 1997. Arenas led the team in scoring with 25.5 ppg, and finished seventh in the league in that category. He also finished sixth in the league in steals per game in 2004-05 with 1.74 (Hughes led the league with 2.89 steals per game).

Known for his fierce competitiveness and somewhat unusual behavior, Arenas quickly became a fan favorite in Washington. In the fifth game of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2005, Arenas hit a 16-foot fadeaway as time expired to give the Wizards a 112-110 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Wizards eventually won the series, the franchise's first such victory in more than a decade.

[edit] 2005-06 season

Arenas had a career year during the 2005-06 season in which he averaged 29.3 points, which ranked fourth among the scoring leaders, two steals (also fourth), and 6.1 assists per game. Despite his accomplishments, neither fans nor coaches would select Arenas to the 2006 All-Star Game. He was able to get in due to the injury to Indiana Pacers forward/center Jermaine O'Neal. He was also able to get in to the Three-point Shootout because Phoenix Suns guard Raja Bell was excused due to a family illness. Arenas was the runner up to Dirk Nowitzki in the contest.[6]

On February 25, 2006, Arenas scored 46 points in less than 30 minutes, setting the NBA record for the most points scored in 30 minutes or fewer of playing time since the 24-second shot clock was implemented in 1954. He put up twelve 40-point games and forty three 30-point games in the 2005-06 NBA season.[7]

During the offseason, Arenas said that he was willing to take a pay cut in order to give the Wizards additional money with which to sign available free agents. He has expressed a desire to win a championship with the Wizards.

[edit] 2006-07 season

It was during this season that Arenas established himself as one of the greatest clutch players in the NBA. On January 3 of the season, Arenas hit a 32-foot buzzer beater to win the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-105. Two weeks later on Martin Luther King Day he hit yet another buzzer-beating three pointer to beat the Utah Jazz, 114-111, in a thriller at the Verizon Center. He also hit a game-winning layup as time expired to beat the Seattle Supersonics on March 22, 2007.

In an overtime game versus the Los Angeles Lakers on December 17, 2006 at the Staples Center, Arenas scored a career high 60 points, adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists in helping lead the Wizards over the Lakers 147-141. Arenas now holds the Wizards' franchise record for most points scored in a game by an individual. The previous record was held by Earl Monroe with 56 points, achieved in 1968 which was also an overtime game against the Lakers. His 16 points in the extra period also set an NBA record for most points in one overtime period, surpassing Earl Boykins' record by one point. [8]

Gilbert became noted during the season for his anger with his snub by Team USA for the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Although Team USA Managing Director Jerry Colangelo and Assistant Coach Mike D'Antoni blamed Arenas's not making the team because of injury, there is evidence that he would not have been chosen anyway due to his scant playing time during preliminaries.

Arenas himself has noted that he withdrew from the United States national team for the 2006 FIBA World Championship because he felt that assistant coaches Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan had pre-determined the roster even prior to tryouts. Afterward, he stated that he planned on averaging 50 points against their respective teams (Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers). He succeeded at his goal versus power house Phoenix (reportedly eyeing in the direction of Suns' Chairman Colangelo and Suns' coach Mike D'Antoni after making backbreaking shots, including a miraculous scoop shot to send the game into overtime as specifically detailed by the Washington Post on December 23). However, he was held to a lowly nine points in a loss versus Portland.

On January 26th, 2007, Gilbert was voted as a first-time starter for the 2007 NBA All-Star game for the Eastern Conference, edging out Vince Carter by a slight margin.

Towards the end of the season, Arenas tore his MCL during a game against the Charlotte Bobcats when Gerald Wallace fell into his leg. The Wizards struggled to finish the season with Arenas and teammate Caron Butler both being injured. Washington earned a playoff berth, but was swept in the first round in a rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

During the offseason, Arenas told the Washington Post that he would "opt out" of his contract after the 2007-08 season, making him a free agent. He stated, "…if something happens where they don't want me or they're going in a different direction, I can look elsewhere. But my intentions are not to leave."[9]

[edit] Player profile

Arenas is a prototype "shoot-first pass-second" point guard. He is a highly skilled scorer who currently scores at a rate of almost 30 points per game (2005-06 regular season average: 29.3), often using his trademark slashing drives to the basket as well as his long-range jumpshot. He is also one of the best ball thieves in the NBA, currently 2nd in the steals category with 63 and 2.0 steals per game (as of January 4, 2007).

However, his assists per game lifetime average is an unremarkable 5.4, and moreover, he is very turnover-prone, as his lifetime TO rate of 3.35 per game proves (he also "leads" the 2006 TO statistics with 3.71 and the previous three years in the top ten). In addition, his on-ball defensive game is still considered below average.

In spite of his critics, he is currently lauded as one of the best guards in the game, as his 2006 Eastern Conference All-Star call-up indicates

Joel Anthony

Joel Vincent Anthony (born August 9, 1982, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian professional basketball player. He plays center for the NBA's Miami Heat. He played three seasons of college basketball at UNLV.

Carmelo Anthony

His father, after whom Anthony is named, died of cancer when Anthony was three years old.[2] When Anthony turned eight, his family moved to Baltimore, where he honed not only his athletic skills, but his survival skills.[3] Kenny Minor, one of Anthony's childhood friends, said, "from drugs to killings to anything you can name that goes on in the roughest parts of town, we've seen and witnessed hands on. Those are the things that teach you toughness and keep you mentally focused on your goals."[3] Sports would serve as an important diversion from the violence and drug dealing that were pervasive in the housing projects a few blocks from the homes of Anthony and his friends.[3]

[edit] High school career

Anthony commuted to Towson Catholic High School for his first three years of high school. During the summer of 2000, when he grew five inches, he made a name for himself in the area, being named The Baltimore Sun's metro player of the year in 2001, as well as Baltimore Catholic League player of the year.[4] Anthony transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior campaign. While at Oak Hill Academy, Anthony was named to the McDonald's All-American Team and won the Sprite Slam Jam dunk contest prior to the McDonald’s All-American game.[4] He was also named a USA Today First-Team All-American and a Parade First-Team All-American.

[edit] College career

Anthony played one season (2002-2003) at Syracuse University. He averaged 22.1 points (16th in the NCAA, 4th in the Big East) and 10.0 rebounds (19th in the NCAA, 3rd in the Big East, 1st among NCAA Division I freshmen). Anthony helped guide the Orangemen to their first ever NCAA tournament title in 2003. He led the team in scoring, rebounding, minutes played (36.4 minutes per game), field goals made and free throws made and attempted. Anthony's 33-point outburst against the University of Texas in the Final Four set an NCAA tournament record for most points by a freshman. In the championship game against the University of Kansas, Anthony had 20 points and 10 rebounds. For his efforts during the NCAA tournament, Anthony earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award. Afterwards, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim described Anthony as, "....by far, the best player in college basketball. It wasn't even close. Nobody was even close to him last year in college basketball. That's the bottom line."[5]

Anthony said that he originally planned to stay at Syracuse for two to three seasons, but having already accomplished everything he set out to do, he chose to abandon his collegiate career (with Boeheim's blessing) and declared himself eligible for the 2003 NBA Draft.[6][7]

Some of Anthony's highlights in his time with Syracuse include being named Second-Team All-American by the Associated Press as a freshman, leading his team to a 30-5 record, capturing the school's first ever NCAA title and being the consensus pick for NCAA Freshman of the Year. He was also named to the All-Big East First Team and was the consensus selection for the Big East Conference Freshman of the Year.

[edit] NBA career

[edit] Rookie season

Anthony's NBA career began on June 26, 2003, when he was chosen in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft draft by the Denver Nuggets. He was selected behind LeBron James (1st overall, Cleveland Cavaliers) and Darko Miličić (2nd overall, Detroit Pistons). He made his NBA regular season debut on October 29, 2003, in an 80-72 home win against the San Antonio Spurs.[8] Anthony finished the night scoring 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. In just his sixth career NBA game (November 7 versus the Los Angeles Clippers), Anthony scored 30 points, becoming the second youngest player in NBA history to score 30 points or more in a game (19 years, 151 days; Kobe Bryant was the youngest).[9] It was the fewest amount of games a Nuggets rookie took to score 30 points in a contest since the ABA/NBA merger. On February 9, 2004, against the Memphis Grizzlies, Anthony became the third-youngest player to reach the 1,000-point plateau in NBA history with a 20-point effort in an 86-83 win.[10]

On February 13, 2004, Anthony participated in the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend. In 30 minutes of playing time, Anthony scored 17 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 5 assists in a losing effort (142-118). On March 30, 2004, he scored 41 points against the Seattle SuperSonics to set a new Denver Nuggets franchise mark for most points in a game by a rookie.[11] He also became the second-youngest player (19 years, 305 days) to score at least 40 points in a game in NBA history.

After winning the Rookie of the Month award for the Western Conference in the month of April, Anthony became just the fourth player in NBA history to capture all six of the Rookie of the Month awards in a season. The others to do so were David Robinson, Tim Duncan and fellow rookie LeBron James. Anthony was also named NBA Player of the Week twice (March 10-March 14, 2004 and April 6-April 10, 2004) and was a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. Anthony averaged 21.0 ppg during the season, which was more than any other rookie. That mark also placed him 12th overall in the entire league. Anthony was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting, finishing as the runner-up to the Cavaliers rookie standout, James.

Anthony was a major part in the turn around of the Denver Nuggets from league laughingstock to playoff contender. In the season before Anthony was drafted by the team, the Nuggets finished with a 17-65 record, which tied them for worst in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They finished the 2003-04 campaign with a 43-39 overall record, qualifying them as the eighth seed for the post-season. Anthony became the first NBA rookie to lead a playoff team in scoring since David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs during the 1989-90 season. The Nuggets faced the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. In Anthony's first career playoff game, he had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, in a 106-92 loss at Minnesota.[12] Anthony and the rest of his team were eliminated by the Timberwolves in five games.

[edit] 2004-2005 season

In Anthony's second season, he started in 75 of the 82 games for the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 20.8 ppg, which ranked him 19th in the NBA. Anthony placed 16th in the NBA for points per 48 minutes. On December 4, 2004, versus the Miami Heat, Anthony became the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career points.[13] Only James and Bryant were younger when they reached that plateau. Anthony played again in the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge, this time suiting up for the sophomore squad. In front of his home fans of Denver (who were hosting the 2005 All-Star Game), Anthony scored a game-high 31 points to go along with 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, en route to becoming the MVP of the game.

With Anthony's help, the Nuggets improved their season record by six games from the previous season, ending with a mark of 49-33. The Nuggets finished seventh place in the Western Conference (one spot higher than they finished the previous season). Denver faced the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round, winning the first game in San Antonio, 93-87.[14] However, the Spurs won the next four games, eliminating the Nuggets from the playoffs.

[edit] 2005-2006 season

Anthony played and started in 80 games during the season. He averaged 26.5 ppg (8th, NBA), 2.7 apg, 4.9 rpg and 1.1 spg. His eighth place finish in NBA scoring was the highest finish by a Denver player since the 1990-91 season, when Nuggets guard Michael Adams finished the season sixth in NBA scoring.

On November 23, 2005, with the Nuggets facing the two-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons, Anthony hauled down his 1,000th career rebound.

On December 27, 2005, Anthony recorded a career-high 45 points in a losing effort against the Philadelphia 76ers.

On March 17, 2006, versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Anthony scored 33 points to push his career point total over the 5,000 mark.[15] Also, in doing so, he became the second youngest player to accomplish that feat (behind James). As the month of March came to a close, the Nuggets finished 11-5, and Anthony was named as the NBA Player of the Month for March. He also took home Player of the Week honors for March 13-March 19, 2006.

During the season, Anthony made five game-winning shots in the last five seconds: at Houston on January 8, 2006; at home versus Phoenix on January 10, 2006; at Minnesota on February 24, 2006; at Indiana on March 15, 2006; at home versus the Los Angeles Lakers on April 6, 2006. All five of those game-winners were made on jump shots, while the shot against Minnesota was a three-point field goal. Anthony also made a shot in the final seconds to force overtime vs. the Dallas Mavericks on January 6, 2006. He made shots in the final 22 seconds against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 18, 2006, and the Philadelphia 76ers on March 9, 2006, which gave the Nuggets leads they would never lose.

Anthony was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the season, alongside Phoenix' Shawn Marion, Houston's Yao Ming, Philadelphia's Allen Iverson and Washington's Gilbert Arenas.

The Nuggets finished the season in third place, winning the Northwest Division for the first time in Anthony's career. Denver faced the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers held home court advantage in the series, due to ending the regular season with a better record (Denver finished 44-38; Los Angeles finished 47-35). The Clippers won the first two games of the series on their home floor. The Nuggets split their games at home in Denver (winning game three; losing game four). Denver then lost game five at Los Angeles, which eliminated the Nuggets from the playoffs.

Anthony led the Nuggets in the post-season each of his first three seasons. However, the team didn't get past the first round of the playoffs, losing each time to the Timberwolves, Spurs and the Clippers. He appeared in 14 playoff games during that stretch, with averages of 18.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.5 apg and 0.9 spg.

[edit] 2006-2007 season

In the eighth game of the season (a 117-109 home win against the Toronto Raptors), Anthony tied the franchise record of six-straight 30-point games recorded by Alex English (1982-83 season).[16] He fell short of establishing a new record in his ninth game (a 113-109 home victory over the Chicago Bulls on November 21, 2006), as he finished with 29 points.[17] After the Chicago victory, Anthony again tied the club record of six-straight 30-point games, failing to break it the second time around, as he scored 24 points in his 16th game (a 98-96 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks) on December 6, 2006).[18]

On December 16, 2006, Anthony was one of many players involved in the infamous Knicks-Nuggets brawl during a game at Madison Square Garden.[19] Footage showed Anthony laying a punch on the face of New York's Mardy Collins and then backing up to mid-court. As a result of his actions, Anthony was suspended for 15 games by NBA commissioner David Stern.[20] Shortly thereafter, the Nuggets traded for Allen Iverson in a bid to form a deadly combination with Anthony. The duo didn't get to play alongside one another until a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 22, 2007, which was the day Anthony was allowed to return from his 15-game suspension.[21] Anthony finished the game with 28 points, as he and Iverson combined for 51 points.

When the reserves for the Western Conference All-Star team were announced, Anthony was left off of the roster.[22] However, with Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer out with injuries, NBA commissioner David Stern chose Anthony as a replacement (along with Josh Howard).[23] Anthony scored 20 points with 9 rebounds in his All-Star debut.

On February 2, 2007, Anthony and fellow teammate J.R. Smith, were involved in a minor car accident.[24] Neither player was injured in the collision. The only information released by the team was that the car Smith was driving belonged to Anthony.

On February 5, 2007, Anthony recorded his first ever NBA triple-double, with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, in a 113-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns.[25]

Anthony won Player of the Week honors three times during the season (November 20-November 26, 2006; November 27–December 3, 2006; and February 5-February 11, 2007). Anthony also took home Player of the Month honors for April 2007, after leading the Nuggets to a 10-1 record for the month and into sixth place in the final regular season standings of the Western Conference. Anthony finished the season as the league's second leading scorer behind Bryant, with an average of 28.9 ppg, while adding 6.0 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.2 spg.

Anthony was named to All-NBA Third Team for the second straight year, along with Miami's Dwyane Wade, Detroit's Chauncy Billups, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett and Orlando's Dwight Howard.

For the second time in three years, Anthony and the sixth-seeded Nuggets faced the third-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. In a virtual repeat of the 2005 first round playoff matchup between the two teams, Denver won the first game in San Antonio, 95-89, only to lose the next four games. The Nuggets were eliminated in the first round for the fourth straight year. In the playoff series against the Spurs, Anthony averaged a team-high 26.8 ppg to go along with 8.6 rpg, 1.2 apg and 1.0 spg.

[edit] Controversies

Since entering the NBA, Anthony has been the subject of numerous controversies. In 2004, Anthony was cited for marijuana possession, after inspectors at Denver International Airport found marijuana in his backpack.[26] Charges were later dropped after Anthony’s friend, James Cunningham, of St. Louis, signed an affidavit taking responsibility for the marijuana. In 2006, Anthony’s friend, Tyler Brandon Smith, was pulled over in Anthony’s 2005 Dodge Magnum and cited for marijuana possession and three traffic violations.[27]

In 2004, Anthony appeared in a video entitled, Stop Snitchin', which warned that residents of Baltimore who collaborated with the police would face violence. Anthony later distanced himself from this video.[28]

In 2006, Anthony was involved in the infamous Knicks-Nuggets brawl during a game at Madison Square Garden.