25-year old Carmelo Anthony will be the starting small forward for the Nuggets again this season. He seemed to buy into the new “team” concept on offense last season after Chauncey Billups was brought in from the Pistons. He played in 66 games for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 34.5 minutes, 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Look for Anthony to average closer to 25 points per game this season. 25-year old Renaldo Balkman will back up Anthony again this season. He played in 53 games for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 14.7 minutes, 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Balkman is a decent back up player but he would be stretched out too far if something happened to Anthony and he had to start.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: A