Tonight could mark a first for the Denver Nuggets in the 2010-11 season if the team plays with its full roster. The Nuggets take on the San Antonio Spurs on the road, looking to avenge a loss from late last week (preview via Denver Stiffs). Defensive leader Kenyon Martin, who has yet to play this year, as well as Chris “Birdman” Andersen and Chauncey Billups, both of who have been battling injuries, could be back tonight or this weekend, reports AOL Fanhouse, suggesting that the Nuggets are using the complete cast of players as a last-ditch effort to keep Carmelo Anthony in town. The Denver Post doesn’t think the ploy will work, adding that Melo is likely to end up in New Jersey or even with Dallas, a team that has no realistic chance of signing him long-term but that would be willing to “rent” him for the rest of the season.

As the Melodrama keeps the rumor mills moving, the Nuggets continue to maintain a strong position in the NBA’s Western Conference. At 16-10, Denver is in third place in the division and sixth place in the stacked conference, even without Martin and Birdman. The Associated Press notes that coach George Karl is grinning at the possibility of a full roster. “I think some of the things that we have struggled with will go away pretty quickly when we get healthy,” Karl says. “We have room to grow, room to get better, and room to get healthier.”