<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Planet Earth is populated by more than 6 billion people, but none is more dangerous with a basketball in his hands than Carmelo Anthony. In all the world, is there now a more unstoppable scorer than Melo? "My record speaks for itself," Anthony said Thursday, speaking by telephone only minutes before scoring 18 points as Team USA defeated Argentina 91-76. "When the ball's in my hands and the game's on the line, I feel like there's a 99 percent chance the shot's going in." At the Tournament of the Americas, where the United States needs one more victory to qualify for a berth in the Olympics, Anthony has been the top performer on a roster that includes Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd. By averaging more than a point per minute of playing time, the 23-year-old Nuggets forward has left even his stellar teammates star-struck. Anthony has given the team a killer instinct, according to Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball. The emergence of Anthony as a scorer capable of leaving any foe defenseless clearly demonstrates how America can regain worldwide basketball prestige at the 2008 Summer Games in China. What makes Melo so dangerous is how many different spots on the court he has learned to exploit. He bangs in the lane for layups, rises above the rim for lob passes and swishes 3-point shots without putting the ball on the floor. Whether Anthony takes the rock while facing the defense or with his back to the hoop, it's the opponent who usually finds himself in a position of weakness. "A lot of people don't want to take that big shot. They don't want the responsibility. I do," Anthony said. "Whether you make the big shot or miss it, you have to deal with it. And if you don't want to take it, that's something you have to deal with, too. I don't want my fans to see me as a player who runs away from the ball when the game's on the line. I'd rather take the shot." For too long, too many American hoopsters fell hopelessly in love with wanting to be like Michael Jordan, which has produced a long line of wannabes who play with blinders, believing the lone meaningful offensive moves ever invented were the driving dunk or the pull-up jumper. For example: Although the one-on-one moves of Dwyane Wade are drool-inducing awesome, he plays basketball in a straight line to the rim, with the lack of imagination and variation that has gotten the USA beat and embarrassed in recent international competitions. But, under the direction of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, this might be the most serious squad the U.S. assembled since the original Dream Team of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in 1992. Since all those old dream-teamers tossed their sneakers in the closet and parked their tired feet on the sofa, graying baby boomers nostalgic for Magic, Larry Legend and MJ often grouse these crazy kids today don't respect the game. Maybe those aging NBA detractors should adjust their bifocals. </div> Source: Denver Post
I was hoping Melo would turn out to be a cancer to the Team USA team, but he's proved me wrong for once.
The guy has been killing it since George Karl was first hired. He's one of the most dominant offensive players in the world.
