The “what-if” thoughts for players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony happen frequently for fans of the Chicago Bulls.
A former superstar forward in the NBA that seemingly aged out of value for any team recently stated that he almost ended up with the Chicago Bulls five years ago. That former superstar forward that almost signed with the Bulls is the polarizing Carmelo Anthony.
Back in 2014, Melo was one season removed from a scoring title and an All-NBA Team nod. He was a hot commodity and could’ve given that Bulls team a big boost. Melo was one of the NBA’s biggest stars in the country’s biggest market in New York City.
Oh how things have changed.
Just five years after a Melo in his late 20’s was looking into coming to the Windy City as a bona fide superstar, he can’t find a single home. Even seemingly solid landing spots like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers haven’t pulled the trigger on signing Melo. He hasn’t played a single game since he was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Bulls early last season. The Bulls promptly bought Melo out without playing a single game with them.
A player that can’t stay out of the media spotlight this summer actually seems relatively calm and collected whenever he actually spoke out. A sit down he had with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith last week showed a level-headed Melo that looked as if he was at a good point in his basketball journey in his mind. When it comes down to it, that’s all that should matter to him.
In that same appearance Melo had on ESPN with Stephen A., he mentioned the potential the Bulls would’ve had if he had signed back in 2014. He talked about the trio that could’ve formed between himself, former superstar point guard Derrick Rose, and defensive standout big man Joakim Noah.
The ironic part about that imaginary world for Melo and the Bulls is the fact that trio actually played together with the Knicks for one season, back in 2016-17. Yet, Melo was aging as was Noah and Rose was too injury prone at that point in his career to make any significant impact over the course of an entire season.
However, what if that trio formed for two seasons before the 2016-17 campaign and they could actually stay healthy? Rose still had a few productive years left in him at that point in his NBA career, as did Noah. And considering the Bulls were already challenging for a one-seed at the time in the Eastern Conference, who knows what that team’s ceiling would’ve been.
Melo was still an All-Star selection averaging around 24.0 points per game and usually shooting around 35 percent from beyond the arc from 2014-2016. That boost to the Bulls offense could’ve lifted them to new heights, again if that trio was able to stay healthy.
The one season that Melo, Rose, and Noah played together with the Knicks was less than stellar. That Knicks team finished 12th in the Eastern Conference with a final record of 31-51. A few seasons earlier with the Chicago Bulls and former head coach Tom Thibodeau and who knows what that potential could’ve been.