Carmelo: Nuggets need big man, would 'love to have Camby back'

Nuggets All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony said he thinks his team is better than last season, when Denver advanced to the Western Conference finals before

Nuggets All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony said he thinks his team is better than last season, when Denver advanced to the Western Conference finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

That is not to say, however, that Anthony would not like to upgrade Denver's roster.

Speaking to reporters before the Nuggets' game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, Anthony said he'd like to see Nuggets management acquire another big body to augment their frontcourt rotation of starters Anthony, KenyonMartinand Nene and reserve Chris Andersen.

"I think we are better than last year. That is my opinion," Anthony said. "We only lost Dahntay [Jones], we replaced him with Arron [Afflalo] and a couple other guys. Actually I think we are better than last year.

"But a big guy can always help. But I don't really know who is out there."

Nuggets coach George Karl supported Anthony's analysis of the team's needs -- depending on which team the Nuggets face in the playoffs, which of course they won't know until after the trade deadline.

"I think every coach always wants a little more," Karl said. "If you are going to go to the perfect world and you say, first round we are going to play San Antonio, second round we are going to play Portland, third round we are going to play L.A., you might want a bigger body. If you get New Orleans and Phoenix and Dallas, we are probably OK.

"It just comes in different analysis of where you are. But to get through, you have to get through the Lakers and their bigs. But I think the one thing we have kind of learned over last year and playing them this year, we know how we have to play to win better than we did last year."

While Karl said it is possible the Nuggets add another player before the Feb. 18 trade deadline, he said he did not think it was going to be a blockbuster deal. The Nuggets, according to sources, are one of the most active teams in the league to acquire a big man.

"If we had the kid we liked this summer, Channing Frye, he probably would not like the minutes he is getting with us," Karl said. "He would probably have to be an older, veteran guy that some nights might not play at all and other nights might play 30 [minutes]. Somebody like Juwan Howard or Sam Perkins."

When Anthony was told that former teammate Marcus Camby was rumored to be on the trading block, he immediately brightened -- though skeptically.

"Camby? Oh shoot, I'd love to have Camby back," he said of the Clippers' big man. "But I don't think that is going to happen. We are not looking for a guy to come in and start. We already have a starting five. And we are almost halfway through the season. So we are not looking for anybody to come in and start or anything like that. But I don't know. I am going to leave that up to the front office."

Karl also said he didn't think Camby would fit into the Nuggets' rotation, despite his obvious talent.

"Wow. I don't think Marcus is a guy who would like 15 or 20 minutes," Karl said. "I don't see that one."