Nuggets should still honor Carmelo Anthony despite Nikola Jokic's greatness 

Carmelo Anthony is set for enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but that doesn't make him the greatest player in the history of any franchises he played for. Yes, that includes the Denver Nuggets, where he started his career and made his name. 

Anthony won't even be the best to wear his number in Denver. When he burst onto the NBA scene after leading Syracuse to a national championship in 2003, he carried his No. 15 in college over to his tenure with the Nuggets. However, since his exit, Nikola Jokić has far exceeded what Anthony accomplished with the Nuggets while donning No. 15, previously associated with Anthony. 

With Anthony headed for basketball immortality, some have wondered what Denver should do about the number. Jokić already has three MVPs and led the franchise to its first and currently only NBA championship, making his eventual place in the Hall of Fame an absolute certainty. 

The Nuggets will honor Jokić after he retires. But is it possible they can still honor Anthony, too? Yes, they can. 

Just because Jokić has surpassed Anthony as the greatest player ever to wear a Nuggets jersey doesn't mean Anthony can't be recognized when No. 15 is eventually retired. 

Anthony is the second-greatest player in Nuggets' history. That should count for something. From 2003 to his departure in 2011, Anthony put the Nuggets on the NBA map when they toiled around in absurdity and mediocrity for decades before his arrival. Anthony made the Nuggets cool and a desirable destination for other superstars. 

Anthony may not have led Denver to a championship or even to an NBA Finals like Jokić already has, but he did guide the Nuggets to their first-ever trip to the Western Conference Finals. Denver eventually lost a highly contested series to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, who then won the 2009 NBA title.

Individually, Anthony earned four of his 10 All-Star credits from his time in Denver. He also scored 13,970 of his 28,289 career points, good enough for 10th all-time in the NBA, while wearing a Nuggets powder blue-era 15. 

There's an argument to be made his personal best season came in 2013 with the New York Knicks. He led the entire league in scoring and won his only scoring title. Still, most of his production came with Denver.  

Anthony belongs on a Nuggets Mount Rushmore, meaning he deserves to have a legacy with the franchise, regardless of whether Jokić ranks higher than him as an all-time player. 

There's precedent for a franchise recognizing multiple players for the same number. The New York Yankees, an organization with as rich a history as any in major professional sports, considers No. 8 retired for two players. 

Most label Yogi Berra as the most recognizable person to ever wear No. 8 for the Yankees. Technically, he shares that honor with Bill Dickey. Despite Berra's career reaching even greater heights than Dickey's, the Yankees realized both catchers put up a body of work worthy of a place in their Monument Park. 

So, when debating the best No. 15 for the Nuggets, the answer is easy. It's clearly Jokić. But the question isn't even fair to include as part of any debate about retiring No. 15. The right thing for the Nuggets to do is to mirror the Yankees and retire 15 for both of their legends.