There's no room for Carmelo Anthony on Team USA
Carmelo Anthony is 31 years old and the best player on a New York Knicks team
that's won 30 games, fired their head coach and won't make the playoffs for the
third year in a row. But this hasn't stopped Anthony from assuming he's a
virtual lock to make the Team USA roster (via New York Daily News):
現年31歲的Carmelo Anthony身為紐約尼克看板球星，雖然今年尼克只贏了30場比賽(46敗)
還在季中炒了總教練Derek Fisher魷魚、外加連續三年提前放暑假的慘淡紀錄，仍然沒有
削減 Anthony 自認為是美國夢幻隊不動人選之一豪情壯志。
以下為 New York Daily 與 Melo 的訪談:
“From a morale standpoint as a player, if you’ve been through the things I’
ve been through the past couple of years you want to feel what that success
feels like. You want that success,” he said. “So the Olympics for me is great
timing.” Chris Paul announced Tuesday that he’s withdrawing from the Olympics
this summer because his body requires rest. It threw cold water on Anthony’s
dream of capturing a third gold medal with “Super Friends” Paul and LeBron
James, but it didn’t sap the 31-year-old’s enthusiasm for Brazil. “That doesn
’t affect my decision either way,” Anthony said...By the time the tournament
rolls around, most of the participants on the U.S. squad will be coming off
playoff runs. Anthony, whose Knicks are 15 games under .500, will miss the
postseason for a third straight season. “Mentally, I think it’s good for me
to go out there and feel what (winning) feels like again,” he said.
Melo:「從重建士氣的層面來看，如果你在過去幾年，熬過那些我所遭遇過的經歷，你也會
想要感受一下到底什麼是成功的滋味，你想要成功。所以今年夏天奧運的時間點對我來說真
的非常剛好。」
在Chris Paul宣布因身體需要休息，他將在本屆奧運高掛免戰牌後，等於
潑了 Melo 不能與超級麻吉 LeBron James+ Chris Paul 一起摘第三面金牌的冷水，但即便
如此也沒有澆熄這位31歲球星前往巴西的熱情。
Melo:「Chris參不參加並沒有影響我的決定。」
屆時當奧運準備開打時，大部分的夢幻隊成員也差不多剛打完季後賽，Anthony的
尼克現在還要贏15場才能到5成勝率(只剩6場)，換言之就是肯定連續三年都沒辦法打進季後
賽
Melo:「心理上來說，我覺得去那裏再一次的體驗一下贏球，對我很有幫助。」
Whether Anthony should or should not make the final 12 is ultimately besides
the point. He's built up more than enough goodwill within a program that tends
to prioritize loyalty over talent, and factors beyond the court will weigh into
whether he's going to Brazil.
但到底 Melo 有沒有辦法進入最終12人名單才是重點吧。講這麼多，也傳達這麼多訊息說
熱情高過能力，還要考量到一些比場上更重要的因素，足以讓他加入夢幻隊。
But, purely from a basketball perspective, there's no rational reason to put
Anthony on Team USA. As a small-ball four who can come off the bench, drain
open threes, create his own shot in a pinch and even do a little bit of
rebounding, Anthony is a phenomenal presence. He's shooting 39.6 percent on
catch-and-shoot threes this season and 48.1 percent when no defender is within
six feet.
但單純就籃球的觀點討論，找不到一個合理的原因把 Melo 選進夢幻隊。就能以板凳出發在
小球戰術裡打到4號位、空檔三分的把握度、在防守中自己創造出手機會，還能有一點鞏固
籃板，這些能力 Melo 絕對當之無愧，本季在C&S的三分命中率有39.6%、在六呎內空檔時則
有48.1%
For all New York's warts (and there are serious warts), Anthony saves the
offense by simply being on the floor. But the decision to keep him off Team USA
has nothing to do with his talent, and everything to do with all the positives
everyone else brings to the table.Even with Anthony Davis and Chris Paul out of
the running, the pool is still way too amazing to use a spot on Carmelo. Here's
a list of players at his position who're far younger and can already do what he
does, and more (within the context of an Olympic team): Harrison Barnes, Klay
Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Draymond Green and Kevin Love. For the
most part, these guys are superior defenders who can also rebound, shoot
spot-up threes and create opportunities for themselves when necessary. Save for
Love, they can handle the ball in pick-and-roll action and serve as the
screener.
Anthony用進攻端的能力拯救殘破的紐約尼克(有的還破很大)，做法很單純就是盡量上場，
但將他屏除在夢幻隊之外跟他的能力沒有關係，而是其他候選人能夠提供的更多而已。
現在就算 Anthony Davis 和 Chris Paul 都不能打，後面一排後浪可以推倒前浪。以下
點名幾個同位置但是更年輕，也可以做到跟 Melo 一樣的貢獻，甚至還能做更多:
Harrison Barnes, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Draymond Green,
Kevin Love。更重要的是，上述這五個人都擁有很棒的防守能力，還有能夠抓籃板、投三分
在必要時，還能為自己創造投籃機會。這個位置給 Love 吧，這樣他在場上可以打P&R，還
能提供單擋掩護的服務。
連結網址:
http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/new-york-knicks-carmelo-anthony-team-usa-olym