Carmelo Anthony Rejected From Team USA Over Fear of Being a Distraction

Carmelo Anthony recently expressed interest in playing for USA Basketball during the 2019 FIBA World Cup, but he was told that the team was moving in a new direction. The reason cited by USA Basketball Managing Director Jerry Colangelo during an interview with Sports Illustrated was that he could be viewed as a distraction.

Colangelo discussed the possibility of Anthony joining the team during a Wednesday interview, and he explained that he has significant respect for everything that the 35-year-old player has achieved in his career. However, he didn't feel that adding Anthony to the team was the right move at this time.

"I love Carmelo," Colangelo said. "He made a great contribution. He was a very good international player. But for where we are and what we're doing, that conceivably could have been a distraction. I understand why the request was made. He's trying to reestablish himself. I think that has to be done in the [NBA]."

In his career, Anthony has been a major factor in USA Basketball's success over the years. He won a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics, and then he added even more production in 2008, '12, and '16 by taking home gold medals. Anthony was also named the 2016 USA Basketball Co-Male Athlete of the Year.

However, the distraction aspect stems from the way in which his recent NBA career played out. Anthony most recently spent 10 games with the Houston Rockets, averaging 13.4 points per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and 32.8 percent from three-point range. He struggled on defense and was ultimately sent away from the team.

Prior to this stint in Houston, Anthony also spent a year with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He registered 16.2 points per game but only made 40.4 percent of his field-goal attempts and 35.7 percent of his three-point shots. These numbers weren't ideal for the Thunder.

While struggling with scoring points isn't a major issue, the potential distractions lie in statements he made during an interview with Stephen A Smith of ESPN's First Take. As he said during the conversation, he has no problems coming off the bench instead of being named as a starter. However, Anthony said that the Rockets never had this conversation with him, which caused the problems.

"It strikes me that I'm not on a roster due to my talent, due to my skill. You're telling me there's 30 teams in the NBA, and I can't make a 15-man roster," Anthony said. "1,000 percent [I can accept a lesser role]. I can do that.

"I had to do that, I wasn't willing to do that in Houston because that wasn't what was relayed to me. It was, you are the piece that we need."

Are interviews with Stephen A Smith part of the "distraction" that Colangelo cited? He didn't specifically lay out a reason, but Anthony's comments likely played a factor in his decision to keep him off the team.