Three months after the exciting free agent bonanza concluded, Carmelo Anthony candidly spoke about his free agent experience in a tell-all documentary recently obtained by the New York Post.
Nov 24, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) gets a rebound during the first half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Knicks 91-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Carmelo Anthony was one of the most highly sought after free agents of the 2014 summer, and many teams around the league battled to enlist the services of the seven time all-star forward of the New York Knicks. Through the frenzy of media instigated rumors, the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls emerged as the finalists to land the all-star forward. Carmelo Anthony ultimately signed with the New York Knicks for an unprecedented $124 million across five years of service. Despite snubbing the Chicago Bulls in favor of the payday that he landed in New York, Anthony insisted that it was never about the money and that the New York Knicks were the team that gave him the best opportunity to win long term.
"“A few years ago I dreamed of coming back to New York City, the place of my birth, and on February 23, 2011 that became a reality,” Anthony said in a statement. “This organization has supported me and in return, I want to stay and build here with this city and my team. At this pivotal juncture in my career, I owed it to myself and my family to explore all of the options available to me. Through it all, my heart never wavered.”"
In the same statement, Anthony went on explaining why he chose the Knicks over the Bulls.
"I will always remember this chapter in my life. In the end, I am a New York Knick at heart. I am looking forward to continue my career in Orange & Blue and to work with Phil Jackson, a champion who builds championship teams. Madison Square Garden is the mecca of basketball and I am surrounded by the greatest fans in the world.”"
Many fans around the nation raised the “Baloney Sandwich” card in regards to Carmelo’s statements. It seemed as if Carmelo was trying to hide the fact that he returned to the place that paid him the most money with his comments. Bulls fans, particularly, felt extremely snubbed, and were sold on the fact that Carmelo had made the dumbest move of his career by passing up the Bulls in favor of the Knicks.
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Thus far, the Bulls have had the first couple of laughs. In a highly hyped opening night game, the Chicago Bulls dominated the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden 104-80. Although they have struggled as of late, the Bulls are 10-6 and towards the top of the Eastern Conference. In contrast, the New York Knicks are 4-12 and, pending a miracle, will miss the playoffs again. It is early in the season, but the Chicago Bull’s fans who point and laugh at Carmelo for snubbing the Bulls in favor of an Eastern Conference bottom feeder, have a legitimate grievance.
Nov 22, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots a free throw during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. New York Knicks won 91-83. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
In a tell-documentary, Carmelo Anthony revealed his thoughts about his 2014 free agent experience and reflects on the decisions he made during the process. Most interesting from the perspective of Bull’s fans is just how close Carmelo was to joining the Chicago Bulls and the fact that Derrick Rose, in fact, did make a concerted effort to recruit Carmelo to Chicago.
Anthony states that at the end of the process, the Chicago Bull’s and the New York Knicks emerged as the most appealing options. Although Anthony ultimately committed to the New York Knicks, he laboriously contemplated the decision and was a fraction of an inch away from signing with Chicago during the off-season. Anthony recognized the potential for winning that Chicago presented him but ultimately his loyalty to New York City trumped his desire to experiment with Chicago.
"“It came down to Chicago and New York,’’ Anthony said during the program. “Chicago was the one from Day 1 [and] was something I was very impressed with. They were looking for someone like me to come in and take them to the next level. So it was perfect. It was a perfect setup and perfect fit for me in Chicago. But also I had to think about just living in Chicago. Do I want to live in Chicago? Do I want to take everything I created in New York and move all of that? It came down to that. But there was one point in time I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going.’’’"
In the documentary, Anthony also asserts that he was extremely wishy-washy with his mindset regarding where he wanted to play the ensuing season. Days and even hours produced dramatic changes in Carmelo’s front-running free agent landing spot. At the time of free agency signing, Chicago media reported that the Chicago Bulls put forward a full-fledged solid recruiting pitch to Anthony. Carmelo, and his agent Leon Rose, were extremely impressed with the Bull’s organization and the recruiting pitch that he had been presented. Anthony had the following to say about his meeting with Chicago shortly post-ceding his visit to the Windy City.
"“Great meeting. You could see the culture they have over there. The seriousness they have, what they’re about. It comes down to winning to me, and that’s what they’re about. That’s what I like. They hit everything right on the nail. That’s hard to do.”"
Even more interesting from the perspective of Bull’s faithful, were Anthony’s comments about Derrick Rose’s role in the recruiting process. Rose has long been criticized for his perceived indifference in recruiting top players to the Chicago Bulls. The only confirmed recruiting venture that Rose partook in prior to this summer was his effort to recruit Kirk Hinrich to come back to the Chicago Bulls the second time. Mixed reports indicate varying levels of involvement on the part of Rose in recruiting Carmelo Anthony this summer. Anthony, himself, clears up the reports in the recently produced documentary.
"During a meeting at a Chicago lounge, Anthony also said to his agent and Frazier: “D-Rose is tough. He even hit me [up]. I’ve been talking to him. Him and [Joakim] Noah. Noah’s more outgoing. But I’m glad we did them first.’’"
With the newly confirmed information from Anthony himself regarding just how close he was to becoming a Chicago Bull this summer, an obvious question climbs to the forefront. In hindsight, did the Bulls dodge a bullet when Carmelo chose to re-sign with New York? Or would Carmelo’s presence on the Bulls further enhance the capabilities of an already wildly talented team?
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In my opinion, the Bulls dodged a bullet when Carmelo decided to re-sign with the New York Knicks. The Bull’s are all about obtaining players that fit their system, and Carmelo doesn’t fit this so-called system. He doesn’t hustle, he doesn’t play defense, and he is a very selfish offensive player that has trouble realizing that a team needs to pass the ball to be successful. A complete mindset makeover would have had to ensue if Carmelo joined the Bull’s and I’m just not convinced that this would ever materialize. Additionally, adding Carmelo would have required an extreme overhaul of the Bull’s existing lineup via a sign-and-trade. Like the Bull’s bench depth? Well, it wouldn’t be there to nearly this extent if the Bulls would have signed Carmelo due to cap restrictions.
Oct 29, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks to pass defended by Chicago Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy (34) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
The Bulls did themselves a favor this off-season by solidifying their bench and adding an under-the-radar star in Pau Gasol. Adding Carmelo would have made them a very one-dimensional unbalanced team that probably wouldn’t be nearly as well off as they are currently.
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Good luck to Carmelo in his pursuit for a championship. It wasn’t in the cards for him to end up in Chicago and this will ultimately be a good thing from the perspective of the Bulls.