Lessons learned from year of adversity have helped father-to-be Anthony growup quickly Evan Semon © News Carmelo Anthony's strong 2005-06 season, plus his stellar play and leadership for Team USA, has boosted the Nuggets forward's image. Still just a kid at heart, Anthony is about to cross the threshold between immaturity and manhood as he prepares to become the father he never knew.

Still just a kid at heart, Carmelo Anthony is about to cross the threshold between immaturity and manhood as he prepares to become the father he never knew. His fiancee, LaLa Vazquez, is pregnant with their first child, and Anthony is not taking his responsibility lightly. He has yet to miss a prenatal doctor's appointment and does not hesitate to ask questions about what to expect in the next several months. "She's carrying my child, so, of course, I'm going to be there," Anthony said. "My father died when I was 2 years old, so I know what I wanted from a father." Carmelo Iriate, who died of liver cancer in 1986, never had a chance to teach his son how to tie a shoe, the proper technique for shooting a jump shot or how to handle himself when times get tough. Nevertheless, Anthony still carries a picture of his father on his phone and plans to serve as a good role model for his son or daughter. "You have to look at your surroundings and everything now because you have to set a goal and a path," Anthony's mother, Mary Anthony said. "Fatherhood is not a street thing. Whatever you mold and shape that life to be for your child, that's what it will be. They learn from you." Only 22, Carmelo Anthony will have a warehouse full of life lessons to draw from as he and Vazquez raise their child. Many of those lessons came in rapid fashion after his first year with the Nuggets. Anthony can tell his son or daughter about the imperfect storm he weathered in 2004 and how it made him a stronger person, a better leader and a more formidable player. "This guy, he's matured so much to the point where you kind of forget he was immature," Anthony's older brother, Justice Anthony said. "He's learned the basics of being a young man and how to be independent and approach situations in a very mature way and embrace his wrongdoings." In other words, he has grown up.

Tightening the circle When a stock rises on Wall Street, you can be sure to find investors trying to hitch a ride to prosperity. It is no different with human commodities. When Anthony left Syracuse as a national champion and a can't-miss NBA prospect, there was no shortage of people trying to get a piece of the multimillion-dollar pie. "People were coming out of the wood like roaches. Like when you turn the light on and the roaches scatter," said Vincent Breckenridge, one of Anthony's mentors growing up in Baltimore. "I guess that's natural. People want to be a part of something good." Anthony handled the crush of new faces well during his rookie season, but his rapidly expanding circle of friends and business acquaintances began to catch up with him before his second year with the Nuggets. On Oct. 15, 2004, Anthony was cited for carrying a small bag of marijuana in his backpack as the Nuggets boarded their team plane for a preseason game in Los Angeles. The petty offense charge later was dropped after James "Slim" Cunningham came forward and said he had left the pot in the backpack after borrowing it while staying at Anthony's house in Denver. Cunningham, who used to organize charity events for Anthony, no longer is a part of the Carmelo Camp. "If you can't trust nobody, then there's no need to even be affiliated with that person," Anthony said. "Everybody I have in my circle, they know about my loyalty factor, they know about my trust factor. I'm serious about that. I'm more serious about that than probably basketball."

Another test Anthony, whose friendly nature puts newcomers at ease, has learned to be more cautious about the people with whom he associates, but the trust factor was tested again this summer. Less than one week before Anthony signed a five-year, $80 million contract extension, his childhood friend Tyler Smith was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession after being pulled over while driving a 2005 Dodge Magnum registered to Anthony's company, Melo Enterprises. It was a potential here-we-go- again moment, but Anthony prevented things from blowing out of proportion by answering media questions honestly and sitting down for a long, heart-to-heart talk with Smith. "We discussed everything. He really was open to hear what I had to say, and he agreed with everything that I had to say," Anthony said. "I'm pretty sure he learned from his mistake, just like I did." Smith, 22, a junior guard at Colorado State, said he was more worried about dragging Anthony's name through the mud than any legal consequences he might face. "I was mad because I knew it was going to put his name back in (the news)," said Smith, who was suspended for two games and ordered to take part in a counseling program at CSU. "I was just happy that it ended with his name not getting mentioned too much like I thought it would be. It's over with now, and we can get on with our careers."

Domestic bliss Much of Anthony's rise to prominence can be attributed to Vazquez, an MTV personality who also has experienced the perks and hang-ups of celebrity. Vazquez, 27, stood by her man during the darkest moments of 2004, when the compounding negative publicity forced Anthony to uncharacteristically draw inward. "I think that's what made our friendship tighter," Anthony said. "That was like the lowest of any low point. For her to be there through the bad times, through the hard times like that, I needed someone like that." The devotion led Anthony to propose on Christmas 2004, and he and Vazquez plan to marry sometime after their child's arrival in March. "I'm going to be around. I'm not just going to come around when the sun is shining," Vazquez said. "I always tell him that." Engaged and expecting a child. Those usually are the telltale signs of a young man beginning to mature and settle down, and Anthony is no exception. He and Vazquez enjoy going out to a club or restaurant, but they also are just as apt to stay home and enjoy the calm that has followed the storm. "For the five days I was in Denver, he bored the hell out of me," said Breckenridge, who now runs Anthony's AAU team in Baltimore. "We literally didn't go out of the house except to go get something to eat. "We were in the house playing video games, watching Law & Order and playing on the basketball court in the house. That's pretty much his life."

X's and O's: What Anthony's coaches have to say about him Jim Boeheim Syracuse coach, Team USA assistant "We'll always have a special relationship, which I cherish. He's a great kid. People think I like him because we won the national championship. That's not the case. . . . He's just a really good-natured kid who gets along well with everybody." Jeff Bzdelik Former Nuggets coach "I have a tremendous respect for him. We did butt heads, but he always played with energy and enthusiasm. It just needed to be channeled into other areas of his game. Like all young players, he's beginning to figure that out." Mike Krzyzewski Team USA coach "I knew he was very talented, but what I found him to be is just a great guy. He was really easy to coach. He started out the practices like he was on a mission. He really set the standard for our team. He was one of the tri-captains and never made an excuse." George Karl Nuggets coach "All I can say is no one - no one, including me - could expect what he has done because no one said it could be done. There were more probably pessimists than optimists and he has made us all . . . whatever word you want to use. We've got to eat crow or shut up."

Mentoring others Just as Breckenridge, Robert "Bay" Frazier and his older brothers served as mentors to Anthony in west Baltimore, Anthony is doing his part to pay it forward. He started the HOOD Movement, a community outreach program in Baltimore, and recently bought a Boys & Girls Club near his old neighborhood. The building will be renovated and renamed the Carmelo Anthony Youth Center. In Colorado, Anthony is a spokesman for Family Resource Centers, which provide support services to families and children. "Recognition? I can't even describe it," director Bill Michaels said. "He's provided a lot of exposure in the community that we had not had. He's a great identity for us." Closer to his profession, Anthony has taken 20-year-old teammate J.R. Smith under his wing. Smith is starting fresh in Denver after a difficult first two seasons in the NBA. "Melo's a great person and has got a great heart. He takes care of as much people as he can, however he can," Smith said. "He's just an overall inspiration in my life. "On a scale of one to 10, he's on 10. I'm still on 5, so he's definitely teaching me a lot of things." Anthony also dispenses advice to his best friends from west Baltimore: Draper, Minor, Tyler Smith and Tynell Dunkley. Smith (CSU), Dunkley (Norfolk State) and Draper (College of Charleston) are in various stages of their college basketball careers, and Minor graduated last year from Manhattan College. "I look at him as a big brother," Draper said. "I look up to him. We're all the same age. He just seems older." Older and wiser. Natural byproducts in the ongoing story of Growing Up Melo.