Today's cartoon is from the November issue of Mile High Sports Magazine

I’ve held off drawing about the start of the NBA season. Maybe out of protest. Maybe out of spite. Maybe because I’m not really sure how YOU feel about it. Anyway, here’s a piece I did for the November issue of Mile High Sports magazine. This was back before we even knew the NBA would have a season. With all of the Tebowmania, the Broncos run to the playoffs and trying to sell calendars going on I just couldn’t find a good time to post it. Until now. Hope ya like it.

Everyone once and awhile one of those really fun images just seems to appear out of thin air. This one, oddly enough, came while showering. Now stay with me. The late great Bill Mauldin, who won multiple Pulitzer prizes as an editorial cartoonist, used to make it a rule that he had to have 10 ideas every morning while he sat in the bath tub. Creativity happens at weird times and usually it’s when you’re in the midst of some mundane task, like shaving, or driving a car. Anyway, I couldn’t pass up the chance to draw the witch from Snow White. It seemed like the perfect metaphor for Carmelo Anthony’s recent case of New York blues.

The song says ” If he can Make it there he’ll Make it anywhere, it’s up to you New York, New York.”
And, for Carmelo Anthony, so it is. He might be thinking by now, this Big Apple idea was a really bad one. And he’ll find out soon enough, if he hasn’t already, people in New York are much less forgiving than those of us here in Denver. Especially the media. It’s that old adage. Be careful what you wish for.
You all have any thoughts about Melo’s choking on the Big Apple? Rant away!

This one pretty much sums up what it feels like to lose Chauncey Billups for me. Sure Melo had to go, but did he have to take the heart and soul of Colorado basketball with him? I drew this for all of the Nuggets fans in Denver who feel betrayed by Melo, and the Nuggets front office. The image is a bit stark, but it fits the mood of the city right now. It feels like we have lost a part of the landscape. I’d love to know how you feel now that the trade is a few days old.

The Best part. It’s over. The worst part. By far. Losing Chauncey Billups, the heart and soul of the Nuggets. I never really thought much of Melo. Sure he brought points. He brought the Nuggets nationwide coverage, including a lot of highlights on Sportscenter, which these days, seems like the only thing players really care about. But he had no leadership qualities. Winning seemed like an afterthought. He played little if any defense. To me, he kind of embodies everything that is wrong with today’s NBA. Self-centered, spoiled, brat. Chauncey, on the other hand, all class. Pure class. He will be missed. The Nuggets will be sorry that he was part of the deal just in fan backlash and empty seats alone.

I had another cartoon ready last night when the story broke, one I had already sent to United Features, my syndicate. I’ve included it here, because Louis asked me to. The image I subbed it with sums up my feelings, and I think, a lot of peoples feelings about the trade. It’s one of the few times I woke up with the idea completely drawn in my mind. All I had to do was to put it down in ink. So here it is. Let me know your feelings on the trade. I want to know how you feel. Just keep it PG rated OK.

It’s REALLY getting old, isn’t it. Melo continues to want to be traded but only to the exact team of his choice, The Knicks, who either don’t have the resources to do the trade or they don’t want to, knowing they can get Melo for free at seasons end. Frankly, I’m sick of the selfishness. Selfish enough to drag Chauncey Billups through this mess, hold the entire Nuggets franchise hostage, and still manage to spit on the fans in Colorado in the process. Months ago I wrote about the LeBron deal and how it would be the complete undoing of the NBA. Players will only want to play with their friends, in the city of their choice, on their own terms, which can, and usually does mean, the coach they want. It’s a far cry from the NBA of old. I was talking with my wife, Marcia, over the weekend. I told her how much I really can’t stand the NBA and how doing cartoons about the whole mess is not exactly the thing I live for. This is a good reason why.