NBA: The Perfect Fit For Carmelo Anthony

Mar 5, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson talks to forward Carmelo Anthony (7) in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Knicks win 118-106. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

This offseason, in what many people will be calling “The Decision, Part II”, Carmelo Anthony will opt out of his contract and become a free agent.

Unless LeBron James leaves to another team, which is fairly unlikely based on circumstantial evidence, Anthony will be the talk of the NBA, with multiple teams trying to recruit him.

As we’ve all been seeing this season, the New York Knicks are one of the worst teams in the NBA: they are, quite frankly, a disaster. Whether this problem roots from selfishness or lack of chemistry, the Knicks don’t have a great shot to even come close to playoff action this season or even within the next 3 years. They don’t have many first round picks, and at this point, their only player for the future is Tim Hardaway Jr. Melo is fed up with the losses, and he said, “You kind of ask yourself, is it worth it?”.

What’s my take on this whole situation? Although the drama is extremely bothersome, I think that the perfect fit for Melo (drumroll, please) would be the Chicago Bulls.

Chicago is a big city, like New York, the fans are loyal and respectful, and they are flourishing in the face of adversity. Tom Thobideau, a likely Coach of the Year candidate simply refuses to let his team lose. Bulls’ GM Gar Forman traded away one of the franchise players in Luol Deng, seemingly expecting his team to tank. Thibodeau, however, is not going to let that happen.

Other than Miami and Indiana, I think that the Bulls have all the heart that one team could possibly have. Led by Joakim Noah, the entire organization has survived the loss of Derrick Rose, twice, and the loss of another all-star player in Deng. With their phenomenal defense, they’re a finding a way to stay alive. Rose said that he may come back for the playoffs, which is doubtful, but still, this is a reason to look up.

How does Carmelo Anthony fit into this rotation, though?

Well, Anthony is a scorer: this is one thing that we all know for sure. Rose was once a scorer as well, but I think two serious injuries that have sidelined him for most of the last couple of seasons may severely put a stamp on that. He may still be able to get to the basket and score when he wants, but my feeling is that he’s going to be more of a facilitator.

Alongside Melo, he will be able to dish the ball and draw attention, opening the floor for him. Rose may be a little bit scared to take a hard fall when he comes back initially, so he won’t be as great a scorer. Instead of the Bulls having just one All-Star in Rose, they can have two with Anthony and Rose. Oh yeah, there’s also that one guy Noah, who gets a lot of triple-doubles.

With Rose possibly averaging around 17 points and 8-9 assists per game, Anthony could still be the primary scorer at around 25. If Rose steps down and assumes a more PG-type role, he can truly allow Anthony to flourish. When Anthony sits on the bench, Rose will then be the obvious scorer for the Bulls, as he is nearly unstoppable heading to the basket.

Even if Rose doesn’t want to give up his scoring mentality, which I assume won’t be the case, Coach Thibodeau will find some way to mesh these two together. Since neither has won a championship, I’m sure that heart, provided by Noah, explosiveness, provided by Rose, amazing ability to score, provided by Melo, and excellent coaching will be the key to a championship.

For example, Dwyane Wade was the face of the Miami Heat before LeBron James entered the picture. He wanted to win more championships, however, so he stepped aside and let LeBron take over. Now, the Heat are of the best teams that has ever been assembled. The Bulls, with Melo, would be a very deep squad (bringing Jimmy Butler off the bench).

According to Chris Broussard of ESPN:

"The sources said Noah told Anthony something to this effect: You can go to Los Angeles, but if you really want a ring, if you really want your legacy to be about winning, you should come to Chicago.Anthony responded by telling Noah that he admires how hard the Bulls play and how hungry they are. He also told him, according to the sources, that Derrick Rose is his son’s favorite player."

I can see Melo flourishing in Chicago. The only downside to this move? The Knicks are screwed.