To paraphrase Gene Wilder in "Young Frankenstein,'' It ... could ... work!''

Steve Blake, of the 2002 national champion Terps, is now a Nugget. It's not going over particularly well in Denver, apparently, because the man for whom he was traded, explosive 5-foot-5 Earl Boykins, was incredibly popular and valuable. And it appears it was a cap move more than anything. On the other hand, the Nuggets badly needed a pure point guard. They traded one away to get Allen Iverson, played without one in the weeks after the trade, and are 3-7 since the deal. (Of course, all of those games have been without Carmelo Anthony.)

Plus everybody knows AI's best years were when he had a guard, like ex-76ers backcourt mate Eric Snow, next to him who set others up, ran the offense and didn't need to shoot. If that doesn't describe Blake, it doesn't describe anyone. (Nuggets management described him exactly that way, too.)

After two good years as a Wizard his first years out of Maryland, Blake's on his third team in a season and a half, which shouldn't be held against him. He not only has proved he belongs, he had his best year last year when he beat out about 30 other point guards (at least it seemed that way) to start along with Juan Dixon in Portland. He just happens to be one of those eminently trade-able guys. He definitely thinks his new home is a good fit.

Carmelo is out four more games for his suspension, including tonight's. He's the last of the suspended guys to return (J.R. Smith is back now). Put them all together with a guard like Blake who has no problem feeding others and who can hit open jumpers fairly well, and the Nuggets are back to being a threat in the West. Good for Stevie.

Now, if only Juan can be rescued from that mess in Portland.

Or if either of them can regain some eligibility before tomorrow's Terps game against Clemson. One of them ought to be able to break up those nine-minute field-goal droughts.

If nothing else, area NBA fans who are determined not to pay attention to that team in D.C. now have another reason to keep track of the Nuggets.