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This season’s Melodrama, with its focus on one player, Carmelo Anthony, and how important he can be to any one team, has ironically enlightened us to how other factors besides the players themselves actually impact teams. 

First, there was this comment from New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov on Jan. 19, as he pulled his team out of the sweepstakes to get Melo for the time being: “[The trade] has been played out in public and it certainly has taken a toll on the players and I believe that it has cost us several games.” 

That’s right, he said just trying to get Melo cost the Nets games. The players were distracted by not knowing whether they and their teammates were staying or going. Those factors produced fewer wins -- not which players they had, but how they were treated. 

The night Prokhorov said it, the Nets beat the Jazz 103-95 to break a six-game losing streak. The Nets clearly have been a better team since – after winning just 10 games in the first 12 weeks of the season, they won seven of their first 13 games after Prokhovov’s pronouncement. Recently, after acquiring Deron Williams, the Nets zipped off a five-game winning streak. 

So if the Melodrama hurt the Nets, how many games did it cost the Nuggets, whose players were stuck in limbo for most of the season? 

To start the season, the Nuggets and Melo were in no hurry, so the team played reasonably well. The team won 15 of 24 before the Dec. 15 date after which deals for players signed in summer can be more easily done. 

But on Jan. 9, in the early minutes of a home game against New Orleans, news leaked out that hometown hero Chauncey Billups was to be included in a potential trade package to go to the Nets, along with Anthony. As a member of the Denver front office at the time, I was in the arena that night. (I left the Nuggets to join ESPN a few weeks before the Anthony trade.) If there was a time when it looked like the public trade talk started hurting the Nuggets, it was then. 

Almost half the team’s players saw their names out there as potential ex-Nuggets. It’s hard to work when your future is that tenuous. It’s hard for coaches to push players who may not have a long-term future with the team. 

That Sunday night, with a very negative buzz in the arena, the team crawled to a 96-87 loss. Before a similar trade with New York finally got done, the Nuggets went just 12-10. On defense, the side where effort matters most, Denver was three points per 100 possessions worse than it had been. The Nets, freed from the Melodrama, pasted the Nuggets on Jan. 31, scoring 115 points on just 90 possessions. 

When the trade was completed at last, no matter which players the Nuggets got in return, at least they had players who knew they were there for the rest of the season and probably beyond. As a result, they were willing to work. 

Denver coach George Karl got his “play hard” team, and that’s what the Nuggets did right away: play hard. Since the deal, Denver’s defense has been just a hair behind the Bulls for best in the entire NBA, allowing better than 10 points per 100 possessions fewer than they did before the deal. 

Those former Knicks now in Denver are not thought of as defensive stoppers. Even if you make the case that the players the Nuggets got were better defenders than the ones they shipped out, that fact is still overshadowed by the impact of merely having players who wanted to be there. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the emotional impact is also clear, as the team is sharing the ball very well. Most of the players are using between 17 percent and 22 percent of the team’s possessions, a far cry from when Melo was using 31 percent. Assisted baskets are up to 63 percent, from only 54 percent prior to the deal. 

The team is feeling good and running more, with 15 percent of its possessions in transition, well up from the 11 percent prior to the trade. Point guard Ty Lawson, who even before the deal played better as a starter, is now the official starter and has been playing like Chris Paul, generating more than 120 points per 100 possessions, putting up an effective field goal percentage of 54 percent and simultaneously increasing his assists and cutting his turnovers, improving his pure point rating (PPR) from about 4 to more than 9. 

Meanwhile, Raymond Felton, who has played both backup to Lawson and with Lawson, has had his PPR go up to over 8. These potential adversaries at point guard have actually thrived in their 150 minutes on the floor together, outscoring opponents by about a point every two minutes -- that equates to roughly a 20-point blowout per game. 

The Nuggets have won 10 of 14 games since the trade, including seven wins by 10 or more points. Meanwhile, the Knicks are just 7-9 since acquiring Melo. John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds forecast the Nuggets will again win 50 games, which seemed unlikely earlier in the season. And that’s an important milestone for a franchise. One of the earliest lessons I got when I began working with an NBA front office came from Rick Sund, then the general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics. Sund told me that winning 50 games is a huge accomplishment in the NBA, and that it is a threshold that would normally ensure we could keep our jobs. While that’s not true in every case, it generally is. 

And in Denver’s case, it might reach 50 wins despite losing perhaps two or three games in the standings because of the cloud that hung over the franchise all season. 

I’ve heard it said that, after getting Melo, the Knicks will be better than the Nuggets “at the end of the day.” But at the end of what day? Not this season. 

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Team owners and union representatives don't seem to be making much progress, and a lockout looks more and more inevitable after the NFL's current labor deal expires at the end of the day Thursday.

But the draft will go on, and the Panthers are on the clock with eight weeks to decide what to do with the No. 1 overall pick.

As the scouting combine was getting underway last week, first-year coach Ron Rivera said the Panthers were considering eight to 10 players for the pick. With the combine concluding Tuesday in Indianapolis, the Observer looks at who those top targets might be and how they fared in Indianapolis:

Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

Notable combine numbers: 4.59 seconds in 40; 10 feet, 6 inches in broad jump; 35-inch vertical leap.

In his favor: Newton's physical skills have never been in question. The 6-foot-5, 248-pounder aced the running and testing portion of the combine, and scored PR points by backing off his "entertainer" and "icon" remarks and vowing football is his top priority.

Working against him: Newton will have to show he can throw with precision at Auburn's pro day next week because he didn't do it in Indianapolis. He was high and wide during most of the Sunday passing session, and completed just one of six deep outs, a staple in NFL offenses. Then there are the character issues (stolen laptop, accusations of academic fraud at Florida; father's payola scheme with Mississippi State), which the Panthers will continue to investigate.

Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri

Notable combine numbers: 4.62 in 40; 10 feet in broad jump.

In his favor: By not participating in the throwing drills, Gabbert might have gained ground on inconsistent Newton. Gabbert, 6-4 and 234 pounds, also showed he can run stride for stride with Newton over 40 yards. And unlike Newton, Gabbert will bring no baggage to the team that drafts him.

Working against him: While everyone harps on Newton's ability to transition from a spread offense to pro-style sets, Gabbert will be making the same jump. The Panthers have to wonder whether he's really an upgrade over Jimmy Clausen. And do they need another quarterback who has trouble connecting on deep throws?http://bowens.blog.co.uk/

Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn

Notable combine numbers: Height/weight measurement of 6-4 and 291 pounds; 4.89 in 40.

In his favor: Anyone who watched Fairley take apart Oregon's offensive line during the Bowl Championship Series title game knows the big man can move. But Fairley wasn't quite as big as advertised, coming in an inch shorter and nearly 10 pounds lighter than what he was listed at Auburn.

Working against him: Fairley, who revealed he injured his shoulder against Georgia in November, opted to skip the bench press. And despite being leaner than Alabama's Marcell Dareus, Fairley looked a little soft in his gear. Asked why he didn't do much his first season at Auburn, Fairley conceded he wasn't ready for SEC competition. Before a team invests a high pick in Fairley, especially the top pick, it better be sure Fairley is ready for the NFL.

Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama

Notable combine numbers: 4.94 in 40.

In his favor: Despite carrying 28 pounds more than Fairley, the 6-3, 319-pound Dareus nearly matched him in the 40. In fact, Dareus' 10-yard split was 0.1 second faster than Fairley's. Dareus, who also skipped the bench press, looked good in the position drills.

Working against him: Dareus has shorter arms than his counterpart from Auburn, which could make it harder for him to shed blocks at the next level. There also are minor concerns about his endurance after he took plays off occasionally at Alabama.

Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson

Notable combine numbers: Did not participate.

In his favor: Despite not working out in Indianapolis as he continues his recovery from knee surgery, Bowers is considered the premiere pass rusher in the draft. He led the nation with 15.5 sacks in 2010 after posting just four his first two seasons combined. In a season when many of the top prospects were caught in the NCAA's agent probe, there has not been a hint of character concerns with Bowers.

Working against him: Teams are anxious to see whether arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus will hurt his burst and slow him on the edge. The Panthers will be at Clemson for the Tigers' pro day March 10 to see if the concerns about Bowers' knee are justified.

Robert Quinn, DE,

North Carolina

Notable combine numbers: 4.73 in 40; 34-inch vertical leap; 9 feet, 8 inches in broad jump.

In his favor: Quinn is drawing interest as a rush end in the 4-3 scheme he played in college but also as a stand-up linebacker in the 3-4 look that is becoming increasingly popular in the NFL. Quinn didn't run as fast as some observers believed he would, but he had a solid showing in the physical tests.

Working against him: ESPN/Scouts Inc. analyst Todd McShay thought Quinn looked stiff during some of the position drills, a troublesome sign for teams that want to turn him into an outside linebacker. That's not an issue for the Panthers, who could be looking for an edge rusher to pair with Charles Johnson, or perhaps replace him. It could be Quinn was rusty after missing the season for accepting more than $5,000 in impermissible benefits from an agent.

Patrick Peterson, CB, Louisiana State

Notable combine numbers: 4.34 in 40; 38-inch vertical leap.

In his favor: Peterson arrived in Indianapolis regarded as the top corner in the draft and did nothing to change that perception. The 6-foot, 219-pound Peterson added some muscle weight since LSU's season ended, but it did not slow him. Though he did not reach his goal of a sub-4.3 40, he was the second-fastest player at the combine.

Working against him: With Richard Marshall on his way out, the Panthers need at least one corner. The question is whether they need one enough to use the No.1 pick on Peterson. No corner has been drafted higher than No.3 (Shawn Springs by Seattle in 1997).

A.J. Green, WR, Georgia

Notable combine numbers: 4.48 in 40.

In his favor: Alabama wideout Julio Jones created a big combine buzz by running the 40 in 4.39 seconds on a fractured foot that will require surgery. Jones might have closed the gap on Green, but the former Georgia star had a solid showing and remains a more fluid route-runner and better pass-catcher.

Working against him: There are few flaws in Green's game, who will be the first receiver selected. But unless and until the Panthers become convinced Steve Smith wants out, they seem unlikely to draft a wideout after taking three last year.

Worth considering?

Julio Jones, WR, Alabama: Gutty, attention-grabbing performance in Indianapolis, but he's probably not a need for Panthers (see above).

Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M: Best linebacker in the draft, but with Panthers expected to re-sign Thomas Davis, they have more pressing needs.