I tried to pick the perfect picture from the Bulls' meeting with Carmelo Anthony at the United Center this afternoon and this one from ESPN reporter Nick Friedell seems to do the trick. It shows just how heavily the organization is invested in the superstar in an attempt to lure him to the Windy City. Never mind that Pau Gasol and Chandler Parsons are also on the Bulls' list. Melo is their top priority and they'll stop at nothing to convince him this is the best opportunity for him to win a championship.
Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson are part of the contingent going face-to-face with the superstar. It's no surprise Tom Thibodeau is there, but he pretty much had to be if he was talking to the prospective Bull on the way to the building. Even Derrick Rose, who has not backed down from his stance of not recruiting players, at least in words, took part in the flesh. That can only help the Bulls' pitch and hopefully, it will temporarily give peace of mind to those who worried an absence would play a factor in Anthony's final decision.
I have to admire how the Bulls have handled this offseason so far. Nothing major has developed yet outside of drafting Doug McDermott, but the front office has been extremely aggressive to this point. It's as if Gar Forman will not rest until he gets exactly the team he wants. One could make the argument they're more interested in Anthony now than they ever were in LeBron James in 2010. That they never decorated the UC for the best player in today's NBA speaks volumes. To be fair, we weren't entirely sure what this Bulls makeup was made of then, nor were they experienced in putting together a winning basketball team. Now, a wiser bunch knows what it takes to land players and they're giving it their all.
I only hope this isn't a replay of the Tracy McGrady fiasco from 2000. The Bulls did something similar when he arrived in Chicago (Benny, the Luvabulls, etc.), only to see him head to Orlando. The difference here is the Bulls are more conspicuous in their intentions. We've heard it in the media and now, through their actions today, which caught the attention of Deadspin as they posted some of the photos taken outside the UC. However, we've also seen the Bulls come so close, and yet so far from landing a prized free agent before and some front office members are even pessimistic about their own team's chances here.
I will not make the bold prediction that Anthony is undoubtedly coming here. I'd rather not look as foolish as the Bulls' outside presentation will be if the star takes his talents elsewhere. My money remains on him re-signing with New York so he won't have to uproot his family or leave a lot of money on the table. Five years, $129 million from the Knicks doesn't sound that much bigger than the four years, $96 million from other teams when you consider the big bucks today's professional athletes make. However, it's still a lot to them when this is the kind of pay they've grown accustomed to and considering everything going on with Anthony, I'd probably stay in New York if I were him.
Of course, he must at least acknowledge that short of joining Miami's Big 3, there might not be a better chance in the NBA to win a championship. He's financially set, so now, he should want to focus on how he wants to be remembered. At age 30, his window is closely quicker than he would like, so he needs to understand that his decision may or may not factor into whether he gets to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy as the primary production of his team.
It will be out of the Bulls' hands when the day is over, so like everyone else in Chicago, they'll have to pray that Anthony decides next week that this is where he can do the most. Nothing's official until he puts pen to paper, so in the meantime, we have to keep our guard up in case all this hoopla is for naught. Although I can't definitively say what will happen, I can tell you this is just the beginning of the craziness. Anthony will be meeting with other suitors this week and everyone will be watching his every move in that time. It kind of makes me glad I don't have to deal with this kind of pressure. How about you?
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