CITAZIONE
CHICAGO — A young fan seated behind the Knicks bench held up a sign encouraging Carmelo Anthony to consider the Bulls — again — when he weighs his free-agent options this summer.
“I saw a lot of signs,” Anthony said in delivering perhaps the best cryptic message of his career.
“It was a good sign,” he would later say. “I mean the kid went to art class ... not the message.”
Anthony’s words are becoming more scrutinized, especially with July 1 drawing closer and his future already having been linked to the Bulls, among other teams.
He was admittedly “embarrassed” by the Knicks’ 109-90 loss on Sunday, yet also impressed with the Bulls’ resolve. Deep down, Anthony knows Chicago could be his best free-agent option.
The Bulls can offer Melo a stable franchise with a fierce, battle-tested roster as well as a superb head coach. The best the Knicks can do is the most lucrative payday, which may be too good to reject.
But if you take Anthony at his word, that winning a title is his top priority even if it means taking less money, well then there are few places better than Chicago.
In a year where the Bulls lost Derrick Rose to a knee injury and traded Luol Deng for nothing more than financial relief, they are still the third-best team in the East and the one team both Indiana and Miami want to avoid in the second round.
Joakim Noah, who recorded a triple-double on Sunday, is in his prime. Jimmy Butler, who chased Melo all over the United Center, is still on his rookie deal. Yes, Rose is a question mark, having essentially missed two seasons with separate knee injuries, but there is no denying his talent nor his will to return to an elite level.
And Carlos Boozer will have to be amnestied to open up salary-cap space to sign Anthony while the Bulls may also have to part with Taj Gibson, an underrated workhorse of a power forward.
Anthony could team up with Joakim Noah and have a better chance at winning a title with the Bulls.
Anthony could team up with Joakim Noah and have a better chance at winning a title with the Bulls.
But the Bulls seem to find ways to plug holes with serviceable players who somehow rejuvenate their careers under the tutelage of Tom Thibodeau, who once again is proving that he is one of the NBA’s top coaches.
Kyle Korver leaves, the bulls sign Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson. They depart and the Bulls find Mike Dunleavy and D.J. Augustin off the scrap heap and Thibodeau turns them into valuable rotation guys.
Meanwhile, Jason Kidd retires, Kenyon Martin and Andrea Bargnani go down and the Knicks implode. The qualities that Thibodeau values — character, toughness and defense — are values that his players share. Or better share.
What is the Knicks’ identity? Who is their unquestioned leader? Why is it that despite missing Rose and Deng, the Bulls keep winning while the Knicks produce one of the more disappointing seasons in the last 25 years?
“I don’t know, man. They always are a team who’s going to be there, who’s going to compete, who’s going to play hard,” Anthony said. “For whatever reason that is, I don’t know if it’s their system, if it’s Thib’s system. For whatever reason they’re always going to be there and compete.”
The Bulls apparently do have interest in Anthony, whom they pursued three years ago in a trade but couldn’t land. Chicago was not thrilled about dealing Deng, the emotional leader of the team whose personality and competitive fire would complement Anthony. Imagine if after all the assets the Knicks gave up to land Anthony he goes to the team that kept its core intact, has an MVP-caliber point guard and a brilliant head coach.
You better believe Melo sees signs. He sees a Knicks organization in utter disarray. He sees himself missing the playoffs for the first time in his career and it makes him sick to his stomach.
He sees LeBron James poised to win another title and sees Chris Paul with a loaded roster in Los Angeles.
The sign he should be looking for as it relates to the Knicks is a yellow one that screams, “Caution!” The Knicks’ plan is simple: re-sign Anthony and add a free agent the following summer. Makes sense. Maybe they’ll sign someone like Rajon Rondo, who has his own knee issues and who, unlike Rose, can occasionally be a head case. However, selling Anthony on the 2015-16 season is a risky proposition.
“I can’t even see next year,” Anthony said. “(Shoot), I can’t even see tomorrow right at this point, man. It’s hard for me to focus on (free agency) while going through this journey right now. I’m just trying to stay with it, stay focused, stay positive throughout this situation. But anything you care about, it becomes frustrating at times. Right now is definitely becoming frustrating.”
It really shouldn’t be. In four months Anthony can decide if he really values money over winning. Chicago and Miami offer both. But history tells us Melo can’t have it both ways in New York.
As they say, the signs are all there.
Author:
Frank Isola
