Carmelo Anthony Had By Far The Best Take On Everything That Went Down Between Jayson Tatum And Team USA

I know the Olympics have been over for some time now and that 99.9% of the world has turned the page, especially when it comes to Jayson Tatum and Team USA. I'm exhausted by it, you're over it, it's time to move on, I agree. 

But after the last few weeks of everyone and their mother having a take on what happened ranging from trolls to current and former NBA players, there was one guy I was very interested in hearing from regarding this subject. Someone who knows what it means to not play on Team USA, someone who knows what it means to win Gold with Team USA, and someone who is largely considered one of the best Team USA players ever.

Melo.

As someone who had a front row seat to this whole Team USA run, it was great to finally hear him on the mic.

And wouldn't you know it, he provided by far the best, most rational and logical explanation/take on this whole thing. We had already heard current players talk about how fucked that situation was and how little sense it made, but it's another thing when a player like Melo who has seen and done it all for Team USA breaks it down like this. Mostly, he bases his analysis on common sense, something that doesn't often happen when it comes to people talking about Jayson Tatum. There's no denying he shot the ball like absolute dogshit. Hit a jumper for me one time, and this most likely isn't even an issue. But what that doesn't change is all the other areas Tatum impacts a basketball game, and for the first time, we got to hear about what knowing that yet still not playing looks like from the player's side.

It's a look behind the curtain to better understand how players think and react to situations like that when it comes to roles and communication, and honestly it's an interesting perspective. There are no hot takes in there in an effort to go viral. There's no trolling from fanbases whose favorite team can't seem to beat Jayson Tatum. It's an honest discussion from a guy who probably knows more about this situation than anyone else on the planet. If you can't put stock in that, well then that's a you problem.

And look, at the end of the day, if this is something that can help Tatum and the rest of the Celts come out extremely motivated for their quest to repeat as NBA champions, I'm all for it. Still got a Gold and came away from the Olympics pissed off and healthy. There of course will be some who continue to get their jokes off and engagement bait on Twitter, that's life. It's mostly just a coping mechanism because deep down they know what's coming once we get to October. 

Good luck.