Carmelo Anthony discusses the Olympics and rediscovering his love of basketball

Carmelo Anthony is getting set to take on the biggest challenge of this Olympic tournament as Team USA takes on a red-hot Spain Friday afternoon. But he did take time out of his busy schedule to talk with The Vertical’s Michael Lee:

Melo talks a bit about the criticism he took from Larry Brown during the 2004 Games, when he was all of 19 years old. Sweet Jesus do I ever hate Larry Brown. He also lists the 2008 “Redeem Team” as his favorite club. No surprise there — that was probably the most important Olympics for America since 1992.

As for his time in Rio, Melo says it has helped him rediscover his love of basketball after a few soul-crushing seasons in New York. Can’t say that I blame him — being involved with the Knicks does make it very hard to enjoy the game. Hopefully his new teammates — and an improved Kristaps Porzingis — allow for a more enjoyable experience next season.