Editor's Note: Today the blog was going to address the topic of who the Nuggets would like to see as an opponent in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, but due to the arrest of Carmelo Anthony on suspicion of DUI, we have changed our focus for today's topic.

There he is.

The mugshot is front and center on the homepage of the News 2 Colorado website and I'm guessing we're not the only place where you can see a less-than-flattering portrait of Carmelo Anthony, snapped by the Denver Police Department's version of Annie Leibovitz at some point shortly after 4:00 A.M. on Monday.

You can say that Monday, April 14th was an interesting day for Anthony. It started with his arrest and ended with the Nuggets qualifying for the postseason for the fifth consecutive year--thanks in no small part to him. He has been wearing a Nuggets uniform for five years and has never missed the Playoffs.

That's something that both of his peers, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the two players he is most often compared to, can't say. Then again, even though Carmelo has never missed the League's postseason party, he has never gotten out of the first round. That's something James and Wade can easily say they have. Both of them have played in the NBA Finals. Carmelo would love to see what the second round feels like.

So, if as we project, the Nuggets grab the eighth seed and face the Lakers in the opening round, it could be five straight early exits for Anthony. As we know, in a season where the best in the West played its best, there would be no surprise-maybe a little disappointment--though no palpable sense of frustration, if the 2008 Nuggets don't channel the 1994 Nuggets and pull off a shocker. The Nuggets are deep, it's just they play shallow at times.

With all of that mentioned, if they are eliminated by Los Angeles, the reasonable conclusion would be that they were defeated by a superior team. I think it reasonable to assume, however, that at some point, Anthony's arrest, will be brought up as a possible excuse as well. Do I think that is valid? I do not think it is. Teams deal with distractions all season long. However, the timing is just too much for some to ignore. Does Anthony care about this team? I think he does. Does he care about his image? I think he probably does, though his actions seem to indicate a different story.

Have a nice Tuesday.

-"z"