With that in mind, Billups will fly Sunday to Las Vegas, where embattled guard JR Smith has relocated. Billups will spent the final three weeks of August working out with and mentoring Smith.

“We’ve got some talking to do,’’ Billups said in an interview with HoopsHype.com.

Smith last month spent 24 days in jail after pleading guilty to reckless driving in connection with a 2007 automobile accident in which a friend, Andre Bell, died.

More controversy surfaced after his release. The Denver Post reported there were posts on Smith’s Twitter page written in a way commonly associated with the Bloods street gang. It was reported that Smith, who since has shut down his Twitter page, wrote words with a “C’’ that were replaced with a “K’’ and, if the word contained both those letters, the “C’’ was removed.

“JR’s a work in progress,’’ Billups said. “I’m happy and proud of the progress that he’s made. But the latest thing with the Twitter. That’s immaturity. It’s immature. Those are mistakes that we’ve got to stop him from making. We’ve got to spend some time.’’

Billups, Denver’s point guard, figures to start in the backcourt next season alongside Smith. That is, unless Nuggets coach George Karl, who said at the end of last season Smith was in line to replace the since-departed Dahntay Jones as the starting shooting guard, deems Smith still not mature enough for that role.

Billups can help knock some sense into Smith, 23, who has had numerous issues on and off the court since entering the NBA in 2004.

“I hope so,’’ Billups said of Smith becoming his starting backcourt mate. “I hope that he can make the right progressions and be more consistent and be more reliable at all times on the court. If he does, he’s one of the most talented guys I’ve ever played with. So he’s on his way to being an All-Star, if he does.’’

If Smith, who averaged 15.2 points last season and was runner-up to Dallas guard Jason Terry for the NBA Sixth Man Award, can take another step, Denver also can. While other teams in the Western Conference have been beefing up this offseason, the Nuggets mostly have been on the sideline.

The Nuggets, who fell 4-2 to the Los Angeles Lakers in a hard-fought West final, have watched as the Lakers picked up Ron Artest. They’ve looked on as San Antonio added Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess, Portland got Andre Miller and Dallas added Shawn Marion.

In addition to the re-signing of center Chris Andersen, what have been the Nuggets’ moves this offseason? They picked up rookie point guard Ty Lawson on draft night and have acquired guard Arron Afflalo and forward Malik Allen, who had NBA scoring averages last season of 4.9 and 3.2 points, respectively.

“A lot of teams obviously got better before we even jump the ball up,’’ Billups said. “I think that our situation stays the same. But the way we get better is, just with the exception of myself, (Anthony Carter) and Kenyon (Martin), we’ve got a young basketball team. I think just the experience we got as a young team, being elite, having some success, if we can be a little more focused mentally, I think we get better.

“It’s not always about names and pickups. You still got to allow those teams to mesh. We’ve meshed. I don’t put much stock in it, although there are a lot of teams that got better… With us, it’s being a year smarter, a year better.’’

Billups believes the Nuggets “definitely’’ have what it takes now to be a championship contender. He’ll get no argument from Martin, who also isn’t too concerned about the Nuggets not having made a marquee move this offseason.

“I still feel like we have the best team,” Martin said. “We didn’t win (the title), but in my heart (the Nuggets are the NBA’s best team)… The only thing that we could use is a drop-dead shooter. Just a drop-dead shooter. Other than that, we’ve got a great team.’’

The Nuggets really will need another outside shooter if restricted free-agent forward Linas Kleiza bolts. Kleiza has received a $2.7 million qualifying offer from Denver, which would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. But indications are Kleiza wants more money, and he might have to travel far to get it.

Kleiza, who told the since-shuttered Rocky Mountain News last October that playing overseas in 2009-10 was a realistic possibility, might go through with that. He’s being courted by teams in Greece and Spain, much to the chagrin of Billups.

“We need LK,’’ Billups said. “But, at the same time, if he has offers, I’m never going to tell somebody what’s best for them and their own situation. But we need LK back.’’

Billups also wants back his backup point guard. Billups said it’s “huge’’ that Carter returns, calling him “one of the keys to our team.’’

But Carter, an unrestricted free agent who has been offered a one-year, $1.3 million minimum contract by the Nuggets, is seeking a multi-year deal. So far, though, there hasn’t been a lot of interest.

“I hope so,’’ Carter said of whether he will return to Denver.

Asked to comment specifically on his contract negotiations, Carter said he’s “not talking about that.’’ But Carter, sounding optimistic about a return, did say he’s hopeful of getting a deal done by mid-August.

“We’ve got the whole core back,’’ said Carter, apparently counting himself. “We’ve just got to pick up where we left off last year. Last year was a great learning experience for us because K-Mart and Chauncey were the only two who had ever been that far (a conference final).’’

Speaking of learning, how much of that will Smith do once Billups has three weeks with him? That could be end up being more important for the Nuggets than bringing in a big-name player.

These days, it’s the NBA rich who pilfer from the poor.

San Antonio was only too glad to take off Milwaukee’s hands the big contract of forward Richard Jefferson while giving up little. Cleveland gladly found room for center Shaquille O’Neal while helping Phoenix cut costs. One presumes New Jersey will spend money during the big free agency summer of 2010, but the Nets for now had a clearance sale, and sent forward Vince Carter to Orlando.

“I think teams are in different situations,’’ said Suns general manager Steve Kerr. “There are situations when you want to go for it because you’re close. Other times, you’re far away so you’ve got to position yourself in the future.’’

With the economy faltering, the future could mean a luxury tax for 2010-11 more than $5 million below 2009-10’s $69.92 million figure. With the salary cap going down, it also means teams really will have to crimp and save for money to use on a star-studded free-agency class, which could include the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

But heck with the distant future. Spurs star Tim Duncan is 33 and, if he is going to get a ring for his thumb, he better be fitted in a hurry. Team officials are trying to comply.

In addition to Jefferson, in which San Antonio paid the small price in a three-team trade of dispatching Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto and Bruce Bowen, the Spurs also signed free-agent forward Antonio McDyess and had burly forward DeJuan Blair fall into their laps in the second round of the draft.

Even usually gruff San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich can’t keep the smile off his face these days.

“I’m pleased with what’s happened this summer,’’ Popovich said.

The general consensus at the recently concluded NBA Summer League in Las Vegas was San Antonio is the big winner so far the offseason. And this is coming after the Spurs, who have won four of the past 11 NBA titles, were beginning to look old and hobbled, with their other thirtysomething star, Manu Ginobili, missing much of last season due to leg and ankle problems.

“I think San Antonio helped themselves in my mind more than anybody,’’ said Sacramento director of player personnel Jerry Reynolds.

“I think San Antonio is really good,’’ said Denver George Karl. “And it seems like they made decisions to be a (luxury-) tax team, which they never have before.’’

Well, if the Bucks wanted to give away a 29-year-old forward in his prime, the Spurs weren’t going to complain.

As for some of the other big moves involving the top teams, there is more debate. O’Neal looked resurrected last season with the Suns, but, at 37, it remains to be seen if he will mesh well with James or slow down the Cavaliers.

“A lot of the top teams have gotten better,’’ said Cleveland coach Mike Brown, whose team had the NBA’s best record at 66-16 before being upset by Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals. “Every time you look, the elite teams are beginning to get better… So it’s going to be tough… I think we’re better on paper, but I think we’ll have to wait and see.’’

Other veterans going to top East teams are Carter, 32, heading to NBA runner-up Orlando, although the Magic lost forward Hedo Turkoglu, and couldn’t sign forward Rasheed Wallace, 35 in September.

“There’s an arms race in the East,’’ Kerr said.

While heavyweights Orlando, Cleveland and Boston are leading the way, at least a few other teams in the East are desperately trying to gain admittance to their country club. Toronto acquired Turkoglu, Detroit signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva and Washington picked up Randy Foye and Mike Miller from Minnesota.

“One of the things that Joe (Dumars, the Detroit executive) has talked about is putting ourselves in a position to win right now,’’ said Pistons first-year coach John Kuester.

As far as who reloaded the best in the East, Washington forward Antawn Jamison, while he likes his team’s moves, calls it the Celtics. They won the 2008 NBA title, but fell in the second round of the playoffs last spring after star forward Kevin Garnett had been lost for the season with a leg injury.

But now the Celtics have a security blanket up front in Wallace. And nobody in town will complain if both are healthy.

“I like what Boston did,’’ Jamison said. “They didn’t have a healthy K.G. during the playoffs and they still were able to make some noise. Now, you add a guy like Rasheed Wallace to a team that already has matchup problems for anybody.’’

Of course, there’s always the problem that Wallace, who did keep it in check long enough for Detroit to win the 2004 NBA title, could implode again. That’s also a risk out West in Los Angeles, where the defending champion Lakers signed free-agent forward Ron Artest while free-agent forward Trevor Ariza bolted to Houston, Artest’s former team.

“They could be (better) or there’s a chance the chemistry doesn’t work,’’ Karl said. “I love Ariza. Ariza was a very hard worker, but there’s no question that Artest is as good or better.’’

Of course, the next big question for the Lakers is whether forward Lamar Odom will re-sign as a free agent. Odom played an instrumental role for the Lakers as they beat Denver 4-2 in the Western Conference finals and in their 4-1 Finals win over Orlando.

The Nuggets are the only conference finalist from last spring who haven’t brought in a big-name player. Other top West teams that haven’t made huge moves are Utah, which is trying not to see its payroll explode, and Portland.

But the Trail Blazers, with about $9 million of cap room, sure have been trying. They lost Turkoglu at the 11th hour to Toronto, and had the Jazz match an offer sheet extended to Paul Millsap.

Also trying hard has been Dallas. The Mavericks acquired Shawn Marion in a sign-and-trade from the Raptors, and but had an offer sheet extended to Marcin Gortat matched by the Magic.

The word from Denver’s Mark Warkentien, the reigning NBA Executive of the Year, is that a lack of head-turning activity by his team doesn’t necessarily mean anything at this time of the year. Warkentien made the move of the year in the NBA last November by acquiring point guard Chauncey Billups from Detroit.

“Our marquee moves have never been in July,’’ Warkentien said. “It doesn’t mean that there isn’t a marquee move out there.’’

Warkentien is right. Not all big NBA moves come in July.

The Lakers got all this rich stealing from the poor in full gear when they pilfered big man Pau Gasol from Memphis in February 2008, shortly before the trade deadline. All Gasol has done is help lead the Lakers to the past two NBA Finals.

Interestingly, after that deal, in which the Lakers sent Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, the rights to Marc Gasol and a pair of first-round draft picks to Memphis, an incensed Popovich blasted the Grizzlies, saying there needs to be a trade committee to oversee NBA deals.

One wonders if such a trade committee would have approved the Jefferson heist.

Meanwhile, Blake Griffin literally is down.

While it would have been easy for Griffin, the NBA’s top draft pick for the Los Angeles Clippers, to cruise during garbage time, he instead dug in against Alan Anderson of the Los Angeles Lakers and drew a charge.

Subtle things such as that impressed the Clippers’ brass when the power forward from Oklahoma made his debut Monday night at the NBA Summer League in a 93-82 win over the Lakers at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center.

Yes, Griffin made his first eight shots and finished 11-of-15 while scoring a game-high 27 points. But one must consider that guarding him, or at least trying to, were the likes of Chinemelu Elonu, David Monds and Ben McCauley, who will not be joining Ed Macauley in the Hall of Fame.

“That shows that he’s getting it that defense is more important than everything else,’’ Clippers assistant Kim Hughes, the team’s summer coach, said of Griffin’s late-game drawn charge. “He has to get that concept that, as a team, we have to get better defensively. So that’s refreshing he’s getting better defensively.’’

Griffin realizes he’s got a ways to go. Despite also grabbing 12 rebounds, what do think Professor Griffin said when asked to grade his performance?

“B-minus,’’ Griffin said.

B-minus? This guy sounds like more of a perfectionist than Michelangelo during the four years he spent on his back painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

“I did some things wrong defensively,’’ Griffin said of the surprisingly low grade he gave himself. “That’s the hardest part for me.’’

Offense sure looked easy, especially at the start of the game. Griffin scored his team’s first seven points, making a layup, a leaning banker from 15 feet after a spin move and a three-pointer.

Griffin’s quick start thrilled the crowd, which numbered about 4,000, impressive for a summer-league game. In fact, this marked on of the most anticipated summer-league debuts since Cleveland’s LeBron James played before a full house in Orlando in the summer of 2003.

It was a big enough that NBA commissioner David Stern, in town for NBA owners meetings, had a courtside seat.

“That was cool,’’ Griffin said. “It was great to see (Stern) there actually watching, knowing that he cares and he pays attention about games like this. It’s not quite the NBA Finals, but he made it out.’’

Griffin impressed the commissioner and others with his athleticism, showing he can handle the ball while bringing it up a few times on the break. Griffin had just one assist, but he did have a pair of nifty passes down low in which fouls wiped out likely layups by the recipients.

Griffin made one such pass to Dionte Christmas, who then hit a pair of free throws. How’s that for a Christmas gift?

The Clippers, meanwhile, can’t help but continue to feel good about the gift they got by winning the May 17 lottery.

“He’s playing great, doing all the things we thought he could do,’’ said Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy. “He rebounds, he handles the ball, he scores, he passes, and he runs a lot.’’

OK, so Dunleavy didn’t immediately mention defense. But it’s just one summer game, and no doubt the coach wants to see more, even if he was pleased with Griffin’s late-game drawn charge.

It also was interesting that two post-game comparisons involved players hardly known for their defense.

“(He’s a) big that combines speed and power,’’ Hughes said. “He reminds me a little bit of George McGinnis.’’

Then there was this from Lakers forward Adam Morrison, who was referring to Griffin, listed at 6-foot-10 but having been measured without shoes at 6-8 1/2, not being the biggest power forward around.

“He’s like (Charles) Barkley in that he’s a guy who’s a smaller (power) forward, but he’s really athletic and can put it on the floor and shoot,’’ Morrison said.

Griffin did surprise some folks when he showed off his range by drilling the early three-pointer, his only such attempt of the game. The Clippers don’t want him to get too comfortable out there, but he has the green light to fire away if it helps keep defenses honest.

Griffin also likes to use the glass on many of shots, and he likes the finger roll. All of that provides an old-school feel to his game.

“That’s kind of the way I learned it,’’ Griffin said. “I love using the glass. It gives me a comfort level. I guess that’s old school.’’

One thing that sure is old school is taking a gutty charge even if the game long has been decided. And we’re talking about a summer game, mind you.

It’s the 50-year anniversary of when Wilt Chamberlain was drafted, and the 40th anniversary of when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was plucked from the college ranks. It’s the 25th anniversary of Michael Jordan heading to the stage, although he did keep in his tongue.

It must be said that, while any draft with Chamberlain can’t be overlooked, there wasn’t much depth after he was a territorial pick. The only other Hall of Famer to go in 1959 was Bailey Howell, No. 2 in the regular phase.

Abdul-Jabbar’s 1969 draft had even less depth, producing no other Hall of Famers. After the big fellow went No. 1, the next best player taken was seven-time All-Star Jo Jo White.

As for 1984, that’s quite another story. While Jordan was the No. 3 pick, three other Hall of Famers are draft classmates, top pick Hakeem Olajuwon, No. 5 Charles Barkley and No. 16 John Stockton.

“I think our class is pretty impressive,’’ Barkley said. “I think ours would go up against many (classes).’’

The 1984 class no doubt ranks among the greatest in NBA history. But is it the best ever?

Barkley didn’t want to go that far. But Barkley was asked how the class stacks up against the star-studded 1996 group, which is looking even better after Lakers guard Kobe Bryant just was handed the NBA Finals MVP.

“I like our chances,’’ Barkley said.

Barkley also was asked how the 1984 class fares against the 2003 group, headed by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

“I like our chances,’’ Barkley said.

At least one member of the 2003 class might disagree. That would be Carmelo Anthony, who helped put himself closer to the category of James and Wade by leading Denver to the Western Conference final.

“We laugh and joke about it, that we’re the best class or one of the best classes,’’ Anthony said.

It seems the only solution is an all-time draft playoff. Take the top eight draft classes in NBA history, and match them against each other, with the winner crowned.

One concern, though, is how to best measure a draft class. How should superstar players be weighed alongside overall depth of the draft? And what about players selected in the late 1960s and early 1970s who played initially in the ABA?

Here are some ground rules. There are five players on the court at once, so the top five players from each draft class will provide the primary weight.

As for ABA players, Dan Issel dropped to the eighth round in the 1970 NBA draft because he already had committed to the ABA. Issel counts since he was coming directly from college.

On the other hand, Julius Erving was drafted No. 12 in 1972 after he had played one ABA season (Erving wasn’t eligible in 1971 due to being an underclassman). Sorry, Erving doesn’t count because he already had been an American professional.

One other rule. Players drafted more than once (such as Elgin Baylor in 1956 and 1958 and Sam Jones in 1956 and 1957 only count toward the last draft in which they were selected).

Here are the eight draft classes battling it out, with the top five players listed in the order selected:

1950

The class is headlined by four Hall of Famers and a guy who played in eight All-Star Games that nobody remembers. Only three other draft classes (1965, 1970 and 1984) can claim four or more Hall of Fame players.

Paul Arizin, Hall of Famer (territorial pick).

Bob Cousy, Hall of Famer.

Larry Foust, eight All-Star Games.

George Yardley, Hall of Famer.

Bill Sharman, Hall of Famer.

1962

The class has three Hall of Famers to its credit. And old-timers are working to get Chet Walker a ticket himself one day to Springfield, Mass.

Dave DeBusschere, Hall of Famer (territorial pick).

Jerry Lucas, Hall of Famer (territorial pick).

Zelmo Beaty, two-time NBA and three-time ABA All-Star.

John Havlicek, Hall of Famer.

Walker, seven-time All-Star.

1965

Four Hall of Famers head this class, although Bill Bradley barely counts since he’s enshrined primarily because of his college exploits. There’s also good depth, with Bob Love beating out Tom Van Arsdale, Dick Van Arsdale and Jerry Sloan for the fifth spot.

Bradley, Hall of Famer (territorial pick).

Gail Goodrich, Hall of Famer (territorial pick).

Rick Barry, Hall of Famer.

Billy Cunningham, Hall of Famer.

Love, three-time All-Star.

1970

This class holds the mark for most Hall of Famers with six. The forgotten one is Issel, plucked in the eighth round by Detroit. Other draftees were impressive, including Rudy Tomjanovich, Charlie Scott and Geoff Petrie, co-Rookie of the Year with Dave Cowens. Since we’re not leaving any Hall of Famers on the bench, six are listed here.

Bob Lanier, Hall of Famer.

Pete Maravich, Hall of Famer.

Cowens, Hall of Famer.

Calvin Murphy, Hall of Famer.

Tiny Archibald, Hall of Famer.

Issel, Hall of Famer.

1984

This group includes the greatest player ever in Jordan and two of the greatest ever at their positions in center Olajuwon and point guard Stockton. There’s not a clear-cut fifth guy to stand around in awe and watch the others, but Kevin Willis gets the nod over Otis Thorpe on seniority since he played 21 NBA seasons to a mere 17  for Thorpe.

Olajuwon, Hall of Famer.

Jordan, Hall of Famer.

Barkley, Hall of Famer.

Willis, one-time All-Star.

Stockton, Hall of Famer.

1985

While overshadowed by 1984, this class still produced a pretty nice encore. It includes three Hall of Famers and Chris Mullin, who eventually could be enshrined.

Patrick Ewing, Hall of Famer.

Mullin, five-time All-Star.

Detlef Schrempf, three-time All-Star.

Karl Malone, Hall of Famer.

Joe Dumars, Hall of Famer.

1996

Four from this class are certain to get into the Hall of Fame. For the fifth spot, there was ample competition in this very deep draft, with Jermaine O’Neal getting the nod over five other players to have made All-Star Games (Peja Stojakovic, Stephon Marbury, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antoine Walker and Zydrunas Ilgauskas).

Allen Iverson, 10-time All-Star, one MVP.

Ray Allen, nine-time All-Star.

Kobe Bryant, 11-time All-Star one MVP.

Steve Nash, six-time All-Star, two MVPs.

O’Neal, six-time All-Star.

2003

This group is just getting started. James has been named MVP and won a scoring title. Wade has a championship and a scoring crown. Anthony and Chris Bosh are full-fledged stars. For the fifth spot, David West nudged out Josh Howard since West pays more attention during the national anthem.

James, five-time All-Star, one MVP.

Anthony, two-time All-Star.

Bosh, four-time All-Star.

Wade, five-time All-Star.

West, two-time All-Star.

Here’s a look at the all-time draft showdown:

QUARTERFINALS

1950 vs. 1996

Cousy vs. Nash. Is that not a point-guard matchup for the ages? But even though Yardley was the first NBA player ever to score 2,000 points in a season, the guys from the Studebaker generation don’t have enough offense. Winner: 1996.

1962 vs. 2003

There’s great team play from consummate pros DeBusschere, Lucas and Havlicek, players who were on nine of the 12 title teams between 1962 and 1973. But James’ gang has too much talent. Winner: 2003.

1965 vs. 1984

Barry and Jordan get into a shootout. But, in the end, the championship experience of Jordan and Olajuwon (eight titles between them) are too much. Winner: 1984.

1970 vs. 1985

With the 5-foot-9 Murphy and the 6-1 Archibald, the little guys aren’t to be denied. Malone is tough, but this time the “Mailman” doesn’t deliver. Winner: 1970.

SEMIFINALS

1970 vs. 1996

Iverson shows up late. Nevertheless, there’s just too much firepower from Iverson, owner of four scoring titles, and Bryant, who has two. Winner: 1996.

1984 vs. 2003

It’s Jordan vs. James. James will want to replay this battle of elite classes in a decade, but, for now, the class of 1984 is as dominant as Big Brother is in George Orwell’s novel. Winner: 1984.

FINALS

1984 vs. 1996

In the end, how can one pick against any team with Jordan on it? Well, any team besides the Washington Wizards of 2001-02 and 2002-03. The 1996 class has more depth, but it’s hard to top the star power of Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley and Stockton, who combined for seven MVPs, 23 All-NBA first team selections, 45 All-Star Game selections and seven Olympic gold medals.  Winner: 1984.

Speaking of Olympic golds, did we mention 1984 draftees combined to win 14 additional gold medals? That would be one each from Sam Perkins, Alvin Robertson, Vern Fleming, Leon Wood and Jeff Turner from the 1984 basketball games and nine from track legend Carl Lewis.

Yes, Lewis was drafted in the 10th round in 1984. But let’s not go overboard. Bruce Jenner was selected in the seventh round in 1977, but that doesn’t help that draft class.

It was pretty much that simple as the Los Angeles Lakers won their 15th NBA title Sunday by defeating the Orlando Magic 99-86.

The debate will continue to rage next season as to who the best player is in the NBA, Lakers guard Bryant or Cleveland forward LeBron James. But Bryant just won his fourth ring and James is sulking at home, having not even been invited to the NBA Finals.

For now, the case is closed.

The NBA Finals usually come down to superduperstars. The Lakers have one in Bryant, and Orlando, while center Dwight Howard is on his way, don’t quite yet have one.

Bryant might not have won another Most Valuable Player trophy this season (James did), but he was the difference in the Lakers winning their first title in seven years. But you better believe Bryant, who scored 30 points in Sunday’s clincher and averaged 32.5 points and 7.4 assists during the Finals, is fine settling for winning the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, named for the first time after the Boston legend.

It only was appropriate that Bryant looked like Russell in Sunday’s clincher, blocking four shots.

The Lakers also won the title this year because of the length on their frontline. They start 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in the post, and can bring Lamar Odom in to play small forward. That takes its toll on any foe in any seven-game series.

Still, the Lakers weren’t always dominant in the Finals. That’s why it will not be a fun offseason for Magic players and coaches as they wonder why they were unable to take advantage of when the Lakers were vulnerable.

There were several near misses in Game 2, which Orlando lost in overtime. And there was the outright choke in Game 4, which the Magic lost in overtime after blowing a five-point lead entering the final minute of regulation.

Unlike in the East final win over Cleveland, the Magic players were unable to hit clutch shots. And their vaunted three-point attack was off, especially Sunday, when Orlando shot just 8-of-27 from beyond the arc.

In the end, the Lakers needed only to play their best at certain times to give coach Phil Jackson his 10th ring. That breaks a tie he held with Boston legend Red Auerbach for most NBA coaching titles.

The Lakers turned it on Sunday after trailing 40-36 midway through the second quarter. They went on a 16-0 lead to go up 52-40.

That’s when the chants started of “Let’s Go Lakers.’’ Orlando fans, meanwhile, were silent.

Obviously, there were a lot of disbelieving Magic fans who parted with their tickets, and they ended up in the hands of fans wearing purple.

It’s a good bet that Lakers fans will again be seen in droves at next June’s final. With Bynum, who never was quite the same in the playoffs after returning from a knee injury, presumably healthy next season, they should be the favorites to win another title.

Of course, some questions will need to be answered. Will Jackson return in an attempt to win an 11th ring? Will the Lakers be able to keep both Odom and Trevor Ariza, forwards who are free agents? And will Bryant opt out of his contract and leave the Lakers?

It’s highly doubtful the third will happen. Bryant had too much fun finally winning a title outside of the giant shadow of former Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal, the Finals MVP in 2000, 2001 and 2002 when Bryant played the role of supporting actor.

Then next June, the Lakers again might be able to say, “We’ve got Kobe Bryant and you don’t.’’

But there was a time when a Phil Jackson-coached team actually choked big time. And it wasn’t that long ago.

Just three years, ago, Jackson’s Los Angeles Lakers led Phoenix 3-1 in a Western Conference first-round series. But the Lakers fell apart, dropping the final three games to lose the series.

Granted, this Jackson Lakers outfit is much better. And the Lakers, who lead Orlando 3-1 in the NBA Finals, potentially have two home games remaining in the series compared to playing just one of the final three at home against the Suns.

Still, the Lakers remember The Choke. Only eight times in NBA history has a team overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series, and the Lakers’ fiasco against Phoenix was the last occurrence.

Lakers forward Luke Walton said whenever the team has a film session before a closeout game, the collapse against the Suns is featured. He’s counting on the team talking about it plenty heading into Sunday’s Game 5 at Orlando.

“We thought we were going to win it,’’ said Walton, looking back at that Phoenix series. “They had Game 5 at their place and (the Lakers believed) ‘we’ll win this.’ But they took care of business. But then we still had Game 6 at home. But we let that slip away (in overtime), and all of a sudden they had all the momentum in the series. And they blitzed us (121-90 in Game 7)… So anything is possible.’’

The Lakers and the Magic players are actually sounding somewhat similar heading into Game 5. Forget that it’s usually the team in the deep hole that is bringing up instances of outfits having battling back.

But the Lakers are doing it also. Following his team’s dramatic 99-91 win in Thursday’s Game 4, Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who hit pivotal three-pointers in both the waning seconds of regulation and overtime, was looking back at how Indiana handled being down 3-1 to the Lakers in the 2000 Finals.

The Pacers that June also had lost in overtime to fall behind 3-1. But they stormed back to crush the Lakers 120-87 at home in Game 5.

“That’s the attitude that Fish is trying to express, that these guys (the Magic) are going to play their hearts out and they’re going to play really hard, and we have to match that,’’ Jackson said.

The Pacers’ attempt at a dramatic comeback was derailed when they lost Game 6 in Los Angeles, 116-111. But that hasn’t stopped Fisher from using that game to try to stave off the Lakers getting complacent Sunday.

Complacency, after all, has been a Lakers’ specialty at times this postseason. They’ve already been blown out three times, twice at Houston and once at Denver.

“I told them… there’s a chance (Saturday’s) practice may be the last practice of the season,’’ said Jackson, rolling out everything he can to get the Finals over Sunday and not have to play a Game 6 on Tuesday in Los Angeles. “That’s also something that gets them pretty excited because practice for players is something that is, at this level of the game, having gone through hundreds or probably more than a hundred‑some practices, they’re excited about not having to come to practice again.’’

It’s also a motivational play that could work for everybody on the Lakers. After all, Fisher and guard Kobe Bryant are the only players still on the team from the 2000 Finals. And the only holdovers from the 2006 collapse against Phoenix are Walton, Bryant, forward Lamar Odom and center Andrew Bynum, who played exactly one minute in that series.

There are 10 Lakers players remaining from last season’s Finals, when a team also held a 3-1 lead. Never mind that it was the Lakers trailing, that hasn’t stopped their eventual 4-2 loss to Boston from coming up regularly.

“We remember what it felt like last year to lose Game 6 in Boston,’’ said Walton, whose Lakers won 103-98 at home in Game 5 to cut the series deficit to 3-2 before getting blitzed 131-92 in Game 6. “We use those disappointing times and painful times as learning tools to stay focused and stay hungry to finally get ourselves a championship.’’

Well, Walton isn’t speaking for everybody. He might be 0-2 in NBA Finals, but Fisher and Bryant both have three rings and Jackson has nine and soon can break the tie he shares with Boston legend Red Auerbach for most titles won by a coach.

But, as legendary as Jackson’s career has been, he once actually choked when being up 3-1 in a series.

Maybe that’s the one thing that gives Orlando’s players hopes. Still, the odds remain long for the Magic.

No team ever has overcome a 3-1 deficit to win in the Finals. And, of the eight previous teams to come all the way back from such a deficit, just two did it while winning twice on the road.

“We’re down 3-1, but we’re not going to give up and lay down,’’ said Magic forward Rashard Lewis. “If we do that, we might as well forfeit and just give them the rings instead of playing on Sunday. We’re here to win a championship. And we’re going to fight. Who knows what’s going to happen. Anything can happen. Anything is possible.’’

Anything is possible?

Those were the exact words uttered by Walton. He knows that even Jackson once blew a 3-1 lead.

FIGHTING BACK

The eight instances in which a team has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win an NBA playoff series:

2006: In a West first-round series, Phoenix tops the Los Angeles Lakers.

2003: In an East first-round series, Detroit comes back on Orlando.
1997: In an East semifinal, Miami overcomes New York.
1995: In a West semifinal, Houston comes back against Phoenix, winning two of the three on the road.
1981: In the East final, Boston tops Philadelphia.
1979: In the East final, Washington rallies against San Antonio.
1970: In a West semifinal, the Lakers overcome Phoenix.
1968: In the East Final, Boston comes back against Philadelphia, winning two of the three on the road.

That would be Phil Jackson, the Los Angeles Lakers coach who, unbelievably, hasn’t won a title in seven years.

There was a time when Jackson collected rings more prolifically than a cat burglar. Between 1991 and 2002, he won nine NBA titles, and the only times he didn’t win came when he took a year off from coaching and when Michael Jordan took an entire year and most of another off from playing.

But Jackson long has been stuck on nine titles. It reminds one of The Beatles song “Revolution 9’’, which goes, “Number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9.’’

Jackson has had two NBA Finals chances to fix the stuck record, and break the mark he shares with Boston legend Red Auerbach for most championships won by a coach. But his Lakers underachieved in falling to Detroit 4-1 in 2004 and to Boston 4-2 last season.

“Maybe I forgot something, and that’s the reason why we lost the last two,’’ cracked Jackson as he prepares for the third time to try to win ring No. 10, with the Lakers facing Orlando in the Finals starting Thursday.

You won’t find anyone in the NBA questioning Jackson too much. Nine rings are enough to shut up anybody except Bill Russell, who has 11, although he isn’t exactly giving daily interviews on street corners.

But Jackson is 63. He’s had hip replacement surgery, and has a hard time walking. He sits in a high chair during games, and rarely moves. Those things alone would suggest he would have a hard time being as effective as he once was.

“With everything he’s done, I don’t know why he puts himself through it still and doesn’t just walk away and enjoy himself,’’ Hall of Famer Rick Barry said about Jackson’s health problems, although Barry, despite his knack for criticizing even LeBron James, won’t go so far as to suggest Jackson is any less of a coach now.

Still, if one wants to talk about Jackson’s fastball, it’s reasonable to assume he throws just 95 mph now rather than having the 100 mph heat he did while winning six titles with Chicago in the 1990s and the first three of this decade with the Lakers.

The Jackson magic began to slip when his heavily favored Lakers were stunned by the more team-oriented Pistons in the 2004 Finals. And many observers believe Boston’s Doc Rivers outcoached Jackson in the last year’s Finals, when the Lakers were the pick by many to win.

“As far as getting there, not winning, it’s a big disappointment,’’ Jackson said. “Huge. Detroit loss and obviously Boston loss last year. A big disappointment to both the teams and the coaching staff. We feel like we failed our team as a coaching staff in both situations.’’

But Jackson is back in the Finals. Although Jackson sometimes has looked half asleep on the bench during an erratic postseason, which saw the Lakers get blown out three times, the sting of losing last June apparently has perked him up.

“We’re just looking at this as something to redeem last year’s loss,’’ said Jackson, who admits his Lakers “weren’t quite prepared for the type of game we had to play against Boston. We know what it feels like to lose. We want to come out and amend that.’’

After all, it could be the last Finals appearance for Jackson. He said in an interview with Magic Johnson on ABC earlier this season he might retire when his contract expires after next season.

Whenever he does step aside for good, Jackson might have run out of names to call it. Winning his final championship with Chicago in 1998 was dubbed the “The Last Dance,’’ and Jackson wrote a book in 2004 before stepping away for one season called “The Last Season.’’

“I don’t think he’s taking the approach, ‘We can do this (another season),’’’ said Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who was on each of Jackson’s three Los Angeles championship teams. “I think he’s going to insure we don’t let this opportunity slip by. How he does it, I don’t know.’’

Maybe Jackson, with his fastball not quite what it once was, will resort to some offspeed trickery. After all, Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander didn’t have his best stuff when, in the twilight of his career, he dug down deep with the Cardinals to strike out Yankees slugger Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in Game 7 to save the 1926 World Series.

A movie was made on the 1962 crisis called “Thirteen Days.’’ The way this one is going, it might last a lot longer.

“He’s a coward,’’ Martin said Saturday about Cuban, a week after Cuban made an unflattering comment to Martin’s mother during a West semifinal series, with Martin believing Cuban has yet to apologize in an appropriate manner.

Meanwhile, Cuban admits he “made a mistake’’ in having apologized to Martin’s mother on his blog and not having yet done so personally in a timely fashion. But Cuban, in an e-mail to HoopsHype.com, wrote he wants Martin to take responsibility for his actions, which he wrote included calling a wife of a Mavericks staff member a “(expletive) fat pig’’ and making an obscene gesture.

It all heated up May 9 after Game 3. After the Nuggets won a controversial game in Dallas, when the NBA later admitted a foul should have been called on Mavericks guard Antoine Wright and a game-winning three-pointer from Denver forward Carmelo Anthony wiped out, Cuban was incensed. He passed by Martin’s mother, Lydia Moore, and has admitted saying “that includes your son’’ when a fan called Nuggets players thugs.

Martin had been fined $25,000 by the NBA and assessed a flagrant foul 1 for a Game 1 incident in which he knocked Mavericks star forward Dirk Nowitzki hard to the floor.

Following last Monday’s Game 4 in Dallas, the Mavericks’ only win in a 4-1 series loss, it has been reported Martin launched profanity in the direction of Cuban. Then, a few hours after that game, Cuban did get around to apologizing to Martin’s mother, doing it on his blog.

But that hasn’t sat well with Martin. Even though NBA commissioner David Stern has recommended Cuban apologize in a more direct manner, Martin said as of Saturday afternoon he knew of no additional apology having been made.

“He’s a coward,’’ Martin said about Cuban. “He couldn’t face it… You all read the only apology that he’s made (on his blog)… The world got to see it before the person who it was meant for got to see it. That tells you how that goes. I ain’t never known nobody apology to somebody through other people.’’

Martin on Saturday was asked by HoopsHype.com about his actions following Game 4. But Martin declined to discuss them.

Cuban then was asked by e-mail about Martin’s comments on Saturday about him, and was informed about Martin not wanting to comment about what happened after Game 4.

First, Cuban wrote he erred in how he has handled the apology to Moore.

“I still intend to apologize to Ms. Moore,’’ Cuban wrote. “I made a mistake and will keep my commitment.’’

Later, Cuban wrote he believes Martin needs to address his actions.

“I would also like to know if Kenyon is going to take responsibility for his actions rather than hiding behind ‘no comment,’’’ Cuban wrote. “Will he apologize to the wife of our staff member that he called a ‘(expletive) fat pig’ immediately after Game 3? Will he apologize to fans that he threatened to, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘(expletive) beat the (expletive) down’ during Game 4?

“Or to the fans he walked by after Game 4, (Martin) cursed and gave the finger to? Will he take responsibility for what he said and did? Is there some reason he has not?’’

Martin, though, has been willing to talk about Cuban. He said Saturday that, while he’s disappointed in how Cuban’s apology was handled, he’s trying to move past that.

“I don’t care,’’ said Martin, who said he was distracted and didn’t play his best in Game 4 because he said fans at American Airlines were “bothering’’ his mother as she sat directly behind the Nuggets bench. “Me and my mom ain’t going to lose no sleep if we don’t talk to Mark Cuban. We’re going to lay our head down and sleep well every night.

“I’m still playing right now. (Cuban’s) got time to think about all that. I got games to win right now. So give (Cuban) time to think about (what he might do).’’

One thing is for sure. When the NBA schedule comes out in August, circle the games between the Nuggets and Mavericks.

The first big blow in the series came courtesy of Martin. With the Mavericks having taken a 12-9 lead midway through the first quarter in Game 1 and Nowitzki shooting 5-of-5, the burly forward plowed into Nowitzki on the baseline, sending him sprawling.

Martin was assessed a technical foul. However the following day NBA changed the call to a flagrant foul 1 and fined Martin $25,000 while rescinding the technical.

“I think it set the tone (for the series) for sure,’’ said Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups. “Nowitzki had hit four or five shots in a row earlier in that game to start off the series, and think (Martin) took it a little personally and let him know, ‘OK, this is how it’s going to be. Yeah, you probably will play good because you’re a great player. But it’s not going to be easy. This is how it’s going to be.’’’

The Nuggets showed early they would be by far the more aggressive team in the series. While those in the NBA office did not look kindly at Martin’s maneuver, there was a belief by some in the Nuggets camp it was a well-spent $25,000.

“That wasn’t what I was trying to do, but that seemed to be the attitude it took on so I had no problem with it,’’ Martin when told about Billups saying his knockdown of Nowitzki set the tone for the series. “You do what you’re supposed to do. If we keep winning the playoffs, I’ll get that money back.’’

There is a World Wrestling Entertainment event scheduled for later this month at the Pepsi Center. But watching Martin fans sometimes feel they’ve already been treated to a steel-cage match.

“I don’t back down from nobody,’’ Martin said. “There’s not a person that has laced their shoes up and stepped on this court (that Martin is) going to back down from. No matter who you are. Championships or not. MVPs or not. Sixteenth man on the team. I’m going to treat you the same way. No matter what it is. I’m going to get after you.

“You’re going to know you played against me when you get done. That’s all I strive to do. Whether you play one game against me or 20 or whatever the case might be, my name will always come up in the conversation of who’s the toughest guy you had to play against. And I want my name to be mentioned.’

It seems Martin got some of his training from Michael Jordan’s original bodyguard.

When Martin broke into the NBA in 2000, he was tough. But he was no Charles Oakley.

But Oakley, then an aging pro who had broke into the NBA in 1986 as Chicago’s head henchman during the early days of Jordan’s brilliance, was around to show the young Martin how to throw his weight around while at least sometimes staying within the rules.

“Charles Oakley, hands down,’’ Martin said about the toughest player he ever faced. “You watch what I’m doing to these young guys, that’s what Oak did to me. (Oakley showed Martin) all of that stuff, man. He told me stuff that is legal to a certain degree.’’

Martin lives on the edge. He has received his share of NBA penalties over the years, but nobody ever hears his teammates complain about him.

“His presence is always felt on the court,’’ Billups said. “It’s never what he does offensively. It’s about his presence out there, his toughness, his grit and grind. We look for that. That’s a major component of our team.’’

With Billups providing leadership and passing, Anthony scoring plenty and Martin flexing his muscles, the Nuggets have advanced to the West final for the first time since 1985.

Enjoying the ride has been Nuggets coach George Karl, who been able to channel Martin’s aggressiveness in recent years at least toward the other team. In the 2006 playoffs, Martin was suspended by the Nuggets for launching an obscenity-laced tirade at Karl over playing time.

“I think the word we’ve used here is, and we’ve added veteran to it, is a smart toughness,’’ Karl said when asked if enforcer is the right word to describe Martin. “I think he’s emotionally involved, but I think he’s smart and I think he’s veteran. I don’t think he’s afraid of pushing the line. Bruce Bowen pushed the line every playoff series I’ve ever seen him (play with San Antonio).

“(Martin) pushed the line (against Dallas). Cuban pushed the line. But it didn’t get crazy. They professionally settled down into a way that somewhere along the way it’ll get settled.’’

The way things are going, though, it could take a while for this feud to settle down.

Or, more specifically, a bunch of long-haired guys from Jacksonville, Fla.

It was January 2006, and then Hornets center Chris Andersen had just had been suspended from the NBA for drug use, unable to apply for reinstatement for two years. Two days after the verdict, not much had changed for Andersen.

Andersen was in his living room doing the same stuff he had to warrant his suspension. Then, blaring out of the loudspeakers, came the song “Gimme Back My Bullets,’’ by Lynyrd Skynrd.

“Been up and down since I turned 17,’’ sounded one verse from the 1976 song. “Well, I’ve been on top, and it seems I lost my dream.’’

That lyric caught Andersen’s attention. Then 28 and having seen voided the five-year, $14 million contract he had signed the previous summer, Andersen’s dream indeed looked gone.

“It hit home,’’ Andersen said. “It was like I was (ticked) off at myself and everything that led up to the suspension. But then I realized I was digging the hole even deeper. Basically, the switch turned on. That was two days after the suspension.’’

It was the day Andersen said he made the decision to get clean and get back to the NBA, which happened when he was reinstated in March 2008.

Nuggets fans are grateful. The “Birdman,’’ whose body is a billboard of tattoos and whose wild hairstyles sometimes look straight out of an exotic bird park, has soared higher this season than anybody could have envisioned.

Signed off the scrap heap by the Nuggets last summer, Andersen during the regular season averaged 6.4 points and 6.2 rebounds and was second in the NBA in blocked shots with a 2.46 average despite logging a modest 20.5 minutes a night. During the first-round of the playoffs, Andersen showed his old teammates what they were missing when he averaged 7.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.80 blocks as the Nuggets walloped New Orleans in five games.

So what are the words that follow the Lynyrd Skynrd verse that caught Andersen’s attention?

“But I got it back. I’m feeling better everyday. Tell all those pencil pushers, better get out of my way.’’

Indeed, the “Birdman’’ is back.

“He’s a basketball gift from the gods,’’ said Nuggets coach George Karl, who seems to only be half joking when he suggests an “offering’’ of thanks to those gods is in order.

Andersen, who after being reinstated last season was confined to a deep-bench role by the Hornets and scored just six points in five games, is being touted by many as the leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.

There’s just one problem. The NBA doesn’t have such an award.

It once did. Interestingly, it was done away with before the 1986-87 season and replaced with the Most Improved Player Award because too many players coming back from drug problems were being handed trophies. Of the six who won the award during its 1981-86 run, Bernard King (1981), Micheal Ray Richardson (1985) and Marques Johnson (1986) had battled substance abuse.

However, if a special Comeback Player of the Year were handed out this season, it seems Andersen would do very well in the voting.

“For Birdman to be kicked out of the league for a couple of seasons and get himself back together and get his life back together and be a big-time contributor on a team like (the Nuggets), that says a lot about his character,’’ Hornets coach Byron Scott said after Andersen and mates made the Hornets look as extinct as dodo birds. “I was very proud that he got himself back into the league. He is truly one of my favorite people. He has an infectious personality. I thought he played extremely well in all five games (of the series).’’

Scott had to be wondering if he really was watching the same player who couldn’t get on the court for New Orleans a year earlier. Then again, it’s not as if such an opinion would be in the minority.

The Nuggets worked Andersen out last July while desperately seeking a big man after Marcus Camby had been sent to the Los Angeles Clippers in a salary dump. Karl admits Andersen didn’t initially blow the Nuggets away, but he did enough to get a one-year minimum contract worth $998,398.

“Nobody believed he was going to come back and do what he’s done,’’ said forward Carmelo Anthony, whose Nuggets are coming off their first playoff series win since 1994 and face Dallas in a West semifinal beginning Sunday.

That is, nobody but Andersen.

“I knew I was going to play like this,’’ he said.

That’s because Andersen, after having more rust than the Titanic, tirelessly has worked to be even better than the high-flying fan favorite he was during his initial Nuggets stint of 2001-04.

Andersen has had plenty of inspiration. He only needs to look back at that night 3 ½ years ago when Lynyrd Skynrd helped him realize he was throwing it all away.

“I broke the rules,’’ said Andersen, who won’t name the drug he used and spent one month in a California rehabilitation clinic after being suspended. “But I took it like a man. I did was I supposed to do… I showed the NBA (he had changed), and they accepted me back.’’

And the Nuggets, who unexpectedly overcame their frontcourt concerns after the dumping of Camby, are thankful.

Andersen’s statistics aren’t a full gauge of his value. He alters even more shots than he  blocks, and the energy he brings off the bench regularly ignites the team and the fans.

“He’s been so awesome,’’ said Denver guard Chauncey Billups. “I’m so happy for him. He has to be the player in the league that gets the Comeback Player of the Year… He’s been phenomenal all reason is his role.’’

Anthony has joked Andersen might be replacing him as the team’s most popular player. After all, signs and shirts touting the “Birdman’’ are all over the place at Nuggets games.

Andersen’s hair adds to the image. It’s greased up, and protruding out of his headband.

It’s as simple as it sounds. Andersen said he buys a product called Spiker from a Denver beauty supply store, and it takes five minutes to apply before a game.

“It’s a glue,’’ Andersen said.

Make sure of one thing, though. Andersen has matured since he got into a hairy situation with then Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik during the 2004 playoffs.

Andersen showed up for a game against Minnesota with his hair formed into giant spikes shooting skyward. Bzdelik immediately sent him back to the locker room.

“He said I wouldn’t play if I wore my hair like that,’’ Andersen said. “He barely played me anyway. I don’t think Karl really cares. But I’m not going to roll out that one (in this postseason).’’

After all, Andersen still might have a wild side. But he’s a lot different than the “Birdman’’ whose NBA career once flew south.

“Ain’t fooling around, cause I done had my fun,’’ goes the Lynyrd Skynrd song as it winds down. “Ain’t gonna see no more damage done. Gimme back, gimme back my bullets.’’

To use another Lynyrd Skynrd song, Andersen has become a “Free Bird.’’

“DUI. DUI. DUI.’’

That was the chant at the Staples Center during a first-round playoff series last spring. The Nuggets star forward had been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving April 14, 2008, and Lakers fans were not kind to him during a four-game sweep that got underway six days later.

But what a difference a year has made for Anthony and his Nuggets. Last year, they entered the playoffs a distracted team, thanks to the Anthony arrest that came shortly before the final regular-season game. Now, though, it’s a carefree bunch of Nuggets that will show up for the postseason.

Denver (54-27) clinched the Northwest Division with a 118-98 win Monday over Sacramento. The win assured that a team that has lost five straight years in the first round of the playoffs will open the postseason at home for the first time since 1988.

Anthony, who has been a part of all those first-round defeats, said he’s “starving’’ to finally break through. He certainly will begin the playoffs in a much better frame of mind than last year, when he was involved in an incident that led him to be suspended for the first two games of this season.

“I look back on it now, I don’t want to say it’s funny, but it’s behind me now,’’ said Anthony, who eventually plea-bargained to a lesser charge of driving while ability impaired. “It’s old and it seems so long ago that I happened, although it was a year. And so it goes to show how much I came around from that.’’

Indeed Anthony has.

It’s true his career has been marred by a lot of other negative headlines (a 2004 New York nightclub altercation, a 2004 cameo in the controversial Stop Snitchin’ DVD, a 2004 charge for having marijuana in a backpack that was dropped when the marijuana was determined to have belonged to a friend and a 2006 15-game suspension for throwing a punch in a brawl at New York). But many believe that, in is sixth season, Anthony is finally starting to get it.

Yes, this season featured a March 2 one-game team suspension for Anthony failing to come of a game when Nuggets coach George Karl sought a substitute. But both agree that wasn’t a major issue, and it was nothing compared to the distraction Anthony caused his team on the eve of last season’s playoffs.

“That probably falls into a big mistake,’’ Karl said. “It could have been worse. Hopefully, now, at a very young age, he understands you should never do that.’’

But Karl has seen Anthony continue to mature since then, both on and off the court. He’s talked about Anthony, 24, having grown into a leader after before being just a talented player.

“He’s had a consistent growth spurt,’’ said Karl, “I think every month it’s kind of like, his eyes are open, his mind is open.’’

Over the past year, Anthony has learned even more about the responsibility of being a public figure. He’s been lauded for the dignity he displayed in representing Team USA during last summer’s Olympics, when the “Redeem Team’’ mined gold in Beijing.

It was far different than what had transpired four years earlier in Athens, when the “Green Team,’’ a collection of players too young for the international stage, settled for bronze. Anthony squabbled with coach Larry Brown and barely played.

While in China, Anthony was an ambassador, engaging the Chinese with his personality and showing up at a variety of events. He spent some time with swimming stud Michael Phelps, who also is from Baltimore.

Six months after the Olympics, Phelps got to stand in Anthony’s shoes when it came to a superstar athlete having a negative brush with the law. Then again, after a photo surfaced of Phelps taking a marijuana hit from a bong, maybe it wasn’t that similar.

“In his situation, it’s kind of different than mine,’’ Anthony said. “We grew up (in Baltimore) in two different walks of life. He was the guy who was clean cut. Nobody ever expected anything from him. And finally then, when it hit, that’s why everybody has come down so hard on him. Like what did Michael Phelps do? I can’t believe he did this. I felt bad for him. But he owned up to his mistake.’’

It must be said Phelps also was arrested on a DUI charge in 2004, shortly after the Athens Olympics. He eventually got 18 months probation for pleading guilty.

Phelps’ sentence required him to give speeches to schools. That’s what Anthony soon must do as part of his penalty.

“I’m going to speak at a couple of assemblies,’’ Anthony said of telling students about the perils of drinking and driving. “Whatever I can do to help them out.’’

The way the Nuggets are playing lately, though, chances are Anthony might end up fielding a lot more questions about that.