Denver will never win with Carmelo

NBA players are just like everyone else in one sense: they're prone to taking a day off from work here or there.

Far be it from me to criticize David Stern's league but do we really need 82-game regular seasons? If the answer is still yes, then you get what you wish for with steaming turds like last night's Boston Celtics-Denver Nuggets game.

They had both played the day before but you wouldn't know it by the way the Celts (46-12) completely worked over the host Nuggets (37-20), 114-76.

It's just one game and as professional sports show time and again, you can't base much off of one regular season contest. Still, that's the third best team in the West? Really?

For all his success in one year at Syracuse, the NBA version of Carmelo Anthony is basically a representation of everything that's wrong with today's NBA (shakes fist and spits while talking on soapbox): He's selfish, dirty, a me-first player. I'm just glad he's not on a team I care about.

Ray Allen led the C's with 26 points and six rebounds. Paul Pierce added 22 points and six boards. Rajon Rondo filled it up with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Finally, a recharged Leon Powe had 16 points and five boards off the bench.

Denver has never played defense for as long as George Karl has been there but they have been playing very well since they hoodwinked the Pistons into taking Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups earlier this season.

J.R. Smith paced the Nuggets with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. Carmelo managed 18 points and six boards while Linas Kleiza (10 points) was the only other Denver player in double-figures. Billups had maybe his worst game as a pro: 3 points on 1-of-8 shooting, five assists, four turnovers, four fouls in 34 minutes. His plus/minus was -38.

The only moment of intrigue in the second half was that Boston rookie J.R. Giddens scored his first NBA point. He had four to be exact. Fellow rookie Bill Walker also had four points, including a sick alley-oop on a fastbreak from Eddie House.

This was never competitive as Boston led 29-20 after one and 60-37 at the half.

One can only imagine how badly the Celts could beat the Clippers if they bring that same intensity to tomorrow night's game in LA. It's the last game of the six-game road trip so the C's might be looking ahead to getting home.

A guy that peed on a towel, a guy that got stabbed in his calf and a Turk

It was a busy week so I only realized just now that I hadn't written anything about the NBA Draft on Thursday.

Coming off an NBA title, Boston had the last pick of the first round (#30) and the second round (#60). Fittingly, the C's basically got three guys with ability that could pan out or could do nothing. I guess you have to expect that when you're drafting so low.

With its first pick, Boston selected guard J.R. Giddens from New Mexico. The Mountain West Conference co-player of the year this past season (his senior year), the 6-foot-5, 208 pound Giddens averaged 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds (which led the league), 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks.

Giddens has plenty of talent as his numbers attest. He actually started his college career at Kansas-where he was on the Big 12 All-Freshman team-before transferring to New Mexico. He was booted out of KU after getting into a fight at a club where he was stabbed in his calf (so Paul Pierce and Giddens have at least two things in common).

Obviously, Giddens will have to mature as he tries to make the NBA but with Ray Allen not getting any younger and James Posey possibly leaving in free agency, Giddens could find a role as a scorer off the bench.

The Celts traded cash for the Wizards' 47th pick (Bill Walker). 6-foot-6 and a solid 235 pounds, if healthy Walker could be a steal. He tore his ACL his freshman season at Kansas State and redshirted. This past season, he teamed up with Michael Beasley (you might have heard of him) to create one of the most explosive duos in college hoops. He also memorably pissed on a towel on the bench during a game. Really, just look at the picture below.

Walker averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists. With his size and speed on the open floor, he is a prototypical NBA small forward. Assuming that he continues to avoid the operating table. Walker has been a household name since high school as he played with O.J. Mayo (might have heard of him too) in high school (imagine that).

It was a low-risk move for Boston that could reap big rewards. You gotta believe that Walker will be motivated to show the talent that made him such a hyped recruit.

Finally, with the last pick the Celtics selected Turkish center Semih Erden. He's 7-foot-1 and 240 pounds but I won't pretend that I'd ever heard of him nor seen him play basketball. Who do I look like, Chad Ford? I'll be shocked if the guy 1) comes to the US, 2) survives the summer league and training camp and 3) is on the roster in the next three seasons.