Syracuse Basketball: Make call for ‘Olympics Melo’ to come to the rescue!

In preparation for the upcoming Olympics, Team USA basketball lost two exhibition games (to Nigeria and Australia), and Syracuse basketball legend Carmelo Anthony surely could have provided some veteran leadership and scoring ability.

Yeah it’s early, the games didn’t mean anything, but they didn’t look good. And the roster is going through hard times.

According to USA Basketball, Kevin Love left the team due to injury and Bradley Beal is no longer on the roster due to health and safety protocols. Former Syracuse basketball player Jerami Grant was also placed in protocols but is not positive for Covid and hopefully will return. Additionally, Zach LaVine has been placed under USA Basketball’s health and safety protocols, per a tweet on Monday.

Keldon Johnson and JaVale McGee were announced as replacing Love and Beal. And Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are supposed to join the club after the NBA Finals.

But I know the phone call I would make.

It would be to MELO.

Anthony, the man who led Syracuse basketball to the national championship in 2003 and has gone on to be one of the top 10 scorers in NBA history, is now adept as a role player and would be the emotional lift and the renewed connection to gold that Team USA needs.

Former Syracuse basketball star Carmelo Anthony has thrived in Olympic competitions.

Just to review, “Olympics Melo” became USA Basketball’s first four-time men’s Olympian and the first men’s player to win three Olympic golds, when he lead the 2016 team with his heart and hot hand. He was the 2016 USA Basketball Co-Male Athlete of the Year.

In the U.S. Olympic history, Melo has played the most games (31), scored the most points (336),  grabbed the most rebounds (125), made the most free throws (53) and is second in 3-pointers cashed (57).

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know everybody thinks he’s past it, but everybody also wrote him off from the NBA in 2018-19, only to have them proven wrong by joining the Portland Trail Blazers and by going on to average 14 points and make 220 3-pointers the past two seasons after being exiled.

I know it’s not going to happen, but don’t we wish they’d get him on that plane to Tokyo!

It would be so fun to watch Melo check into a game and provide a spark off the bench. Get a pass on the wing and drill a 3.

Now that’s America.