Anyone else noticed that Nene seems to a much more aggressive player with Melo out? Throughout his career, Nene seems to get discouraged when the ball is not moving and Melo is playing isolation offense. In the games Melo is out, and the team moves the ball better, Nene seems much more inpsired, aggressive and, frankly, productive. I am not saying this is a reason to trade Melo, but if Melo leaves (and it looks like he will sooner than later) one plus could be a re-energized Nene and better team offense. If Nene plays like he did against Toronto, scoring at will in the post, rebounding, playing good defense, Nene could be an all-star.

Let's face it, life without Melo is going to be a transition, but I really like the way the Nuggets play team ball with Melo out. It seems to push Nene to another level, and you see more engaged play from JR and Big Al. And, if the Nuggs add a true scoring forward in place of Melo, and get Bird and Kmart back, they could still be pretty tough this season.