The summer of 2014 is going to be one of the best summers maybe in NBA history. Arguably the best draft class (assuming the star-studded freshman class goes "one and done") since 2003 will join the NBA in late June and the free agency market is as star-studded as anyone can remember. Hall of Famers highlight the free agency such as Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade. Yet the one free agent who has drawn just as much intrigue as anyone is current New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony. In the midst of an absolutely awful season, Anthony has been given advice by players who have known what testing the free agency waters is all about. Both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have offered Melo advice on how to handle the pressure yet neither has made any attempt to recruit the Knicks forward, nor will they.
However, Melo is at the point where he can pick where he wants to go and just about anyone would take him. Yet as the season reaches the midway point and rumors begin to leak more and more, the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls have emerged as the top options for Carmelo with the Bulls seemingly having the edge. When you first hear "Carmelo Anthony" and "Chicago Bulls", the majority of Bulls fans would get excited and hope, wish, and pray that Melo would don the red, white, and black next year. My question to those people would be, quite simply, why?
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| Melo's need to have the ball in his hands could hurt Chicago |
Why would you want Carmelo Anthony in Chicago? Can he score? Absolutely. Can he score efficiently? More often than not he can't. Melo is as one-dimensional as they come and a player like him would never last under Tom Thibodeau. Thibs' expectations and culture are virtually impossible for a lazy and selfish player like Carmelo Anthony to accept and play under. The Bulls play a team game on both sides of the ball and the offensive scheme requires plenty of ball movement with a high-low post game and ball screens. Melo is not a good or willing passer (averaging a mere 3.1 assists per game for his career) and continually slows down the offense in order to play one on one. Again, is he good at it? Yes, arguably the best half-court offensive player in the league. But does that fit the Bulls' game plan? No, and it never will.
Why would you want a guy that's going to take away from a high-powered attack with numerous weapons? Assuming Derrick Rose comes back at full strength and with the incredible development of Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah, the Bulls have plenty of guys that can be built around and offer great upside on both sides of the ball. What good is all of Jimmy Butler's improvement if he's forced to stand and spectate while Melo does eight jab steps towards his defender only to pull up from 25 feet out? What good is Joakim Noah's ability to get to the hoop from the elbow and finish with both hands if he's stuck watching Carmelo dribble out 16 seconds of the shot clock so he can shoot a contested step-back? Carmelo Anthony would give the offense no sense of flow whatsoever because he has to have the ball in his hands and he fails to make other players around him better.
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| Thibs' intensity may not sit well with Melo |
With Melo's game now being set aside, why would you want a guy with the attitude he has ruining the great chemistry the Bulls have? He didn't have a great relationship with George Karl in Denver, he ran Mike D'Antoni out of New York, and told the Knicks front office not to re-sign Jeremy Lin. The bottom line is, Carmelo Anthony is the epitome of a spoiled and selfish player. He's under the assumption that the front office should cater to him which, to a degree, is not totally wrong because he's the guy that's selling the tickets. But other than that, his relationship with his past coaching staffs and teammates has not been good and if you think he could handle Tom Thibodeau you're out of your mind. Tom Thibodeau is flat out tough. He expects the best every single second of every single practice or game and presents an intensity that few coaches in the NBA can match. You have to be tough to play in Chicago, mentally and physically. Carmelo Anthony has enjoyed playing in New York where it's clear that he is "the guy" and the fans are just happy to have him there because he's entertaining to watch. But if Melo were to come to Chicago could he handle being in the shadows of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah when it comes to leadership? Denver and New York were Melo's teams and it was obvious. Chicago would never be his team to lead and that's not something I imagine Anthony would like to be a part of.
Am I saying Carmelo Anthony is a bad player? No. Am I saying Carmelo Anthony is a bad player for the Bulls to pick up? Yes. The Bulls need to focus their efforts on bringing Nikola Mirotic over from Spain and focusing on the payroll as a whole. They don't have the money for a superstar like Melo nor would he fit with the system. Maybe I could be wrong. Maybe Carmelo Anthony has only been selfish all his career because he's had to be in order for his team to succeed. Maybe he's capable of playing with the concept of a team offense. The only way to tell would be to give him a number seven jersey with "Bulls" across the chest. But as for now, the Bulls have other options they need to explore, options that would better their chances to improve as a team.
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