Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony apologizes for DUI arrest

DENVER — Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said Tuesday he was "truly sorry" for his arrest on DUI charges, and police denied giving him special treatment, even though one officer gave him a lift after his arrest and another drove his car to a city lot.

"I'm here to man up to my mistake, just to let you know that I'm truly sorry for what happened and everything that's going on," Anthony said. "What happened Monday morning was truly and totally unacceptable."

He spoke for about two minutes and left without taking questions. He didn't refer to his notes, appearing instead to speak off the cuff. The team later released a written statement attributed to him.

Teammate Allen Iverson stood off to the side as Anthony spoke.

Anthony acknowledged the arrest came at a bad time, hours before the Nuggets clinched their fifth consecutive postseason appearance when the Golden State Warriors lost on Monday night.

"It's kind of bad timing right now, due to the playoffs, due to our team's success," he said. "Once again, I just want to apologize."

Barkley bashes Bulls

CHICAGO — TNT analyst Charles Barkley had a tidy summation for the state of the Chicago Bulls: "Y'all in trouble."

Taking a break from discussing playoff teams during a conference call Tuesday, Barkley and Reggie Miller unloaded on the fading franchise.

"They have a bunch of good, little pieces, but they should have made trades," Barkley said. "Who is their best player? We start with that. Who is their best player? To be a great team in the NBA, you have to have at least one really good player. When you think about the Bulls, you don't even know who their best player is."

After Miller said that decisions by Luol Deng and Ben Gordon to turn down lucrative extensions had "bled onto the court and affected their play," Barkley amplified the point.

"When these guys turn down $10 million to $12 million [per year], I'm like, 'Are you kidding me?' " he said. "First of all, that's highway robbery if you get that much money. They're just good players, not great players.

"If you offer a good player $10 million a year, he should get a pen as fast as he can."

Note

• Cleveland swingman Sasha Pavlovic will miss at least the first round of the playoffs with a sprained ankle.