Kobe Bryant isn't surprised by how well Carmelo Anthony has played during Denver's deep playoff run this spring.

"He was ready. He was never the problem. He was never the issue," Bryant said.

Bryant and Anthony became friends in China during the Beijing Olympics.

"He worked hard. He was committed to playing defense. We all knew he could score the ball. I never saw him as being a problem at all," Bryant said, indicating that the Nuggets finally got the right players around him.

"And now everybody's talking about this miraculous transformation. There's no damn transformation. He's been doing it since Syracuse."

Bryant went on to compare Anthony to himself, perhaps the ultimate complement.

"He and I are probably the only ones in the league now who have that mid-range game down pat in terms of shooting pull-up jump-shots, 1-2 dribble pull-ups going both ways," Bryant added. "Then, he can post up the ball and he has a long ball, too."

Via Yahoo! Sports

Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers

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