Jaylen Brown 's exclusion from the U.S. men's basketball team for the Paris Olympics remains a hot topic on basketball podcasts. JB was infamously left off Team USA , with USAB opting to pick his Boston Celtics teammate Derrick White over him as Kawhi Leonard's replacement.
Brown has already said his piece on the issue, as have many other NBA personalities. Most recently, Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony discussed the matter on the latest edition of Podcast P.
"I think he should've gotten a shot," said Anthony. "I think Paul should've gotten a shot. That's just…it is what it is. Like you can't make it that obvious for whatever reason it is. This is where you draw the line somewhere. Like this man busts his a**. He worked hard. He takes everything that people say about him-he's not marketable, he's not this, he's not that. He go win a championship and do it the way he did it. How he don't get a shot at the USA Team?"
Give Jaylen his deserved praise
Melo has a point, as the former Golden Bear was coming off a season where he led - not helped, the Boston Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship. Brown had a fantastic postseason, winning the Eastern Conference Finals and 2024 NBA Finals MVP awards. For sure, he should have been considered to replace Kawhi. Not only did USAB snub him, but they also picked his teammate Derrick White as the guy.
USAB Executive Director Grant Hill defended his organization's move to choose White , saying that the Celtics guard knows how to play as a complementary piece and thrives in that role. Hill also noted that Derrick's approach and attitude will not change regardless of whether he gets playing time.
"You want to tell me he don't fit the style of play," added Anthony. "That's not it. So if it's political, and I don't like using that word. But if it's something of that nature that we don't understand, have a conversation with the man. At least give him the respect like yo, you a champion, you won, you worked, you played on this team before."
Related: Reggie Miller picks between Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic: "Give me that 22-year old"
Pick the replacement from the farm team
Anthony said he has no problem with White being named on the team. However, suppose Hill and USA Basketball intended to replace Kawhi with a guy who would sit on the bench like Boston's guard. In that case, they should've just promoted someone from the Select Team to reward those guys for helping Team USA prepare.
"I would say bring one of them kids off the guys of the Select Team," continued Melo. "Like they've been part of Team USA for all these years. Let them come get that experience. You know, instead of just bringing somebody in, like if you're not going to get them guys, bring somebody who's already been in the program over the years so we can show the world that we're developing too, that our farm system works."
Again, Anthony has a valid argument. Suppose USAB wasn't keen on bringing another star and merely picked White because he would have no issue sitting on the bench without playing time. Why did they not just pick a Select Team member who is already familiar with the team? The answer could be, as Melo coined it, political.
Related: LeBron James after Team USA barely beat South Sudan in an exhibition game: "I like those ones better than the blowouts"
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