The Chicago Bulls were hoping to land several free agents in the late 2000s and early 2010s. They positioned themselves to have enough cap space to pursue some of the best players in the league. LeBron James was the most famous player they went after.
Carmelo Anthony was another player that Chicago tried to bring in. He was one of the 15 best players in the NBA at the time. Anthony never decided to sign with the Bulls, opting to stay with the Knicks instead. Anthony would play for New York for parts of seven seasons.
Recently, Anthony talked about why he decided not to leave New York for Chicago, and it doesn’t sound like things were going well for the Bulls.
GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony runs down the court during a game. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Carmelo Anthony Reveals Why He Didn’t Sign With the Bulls
While speaking on 7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, Anthony revealed that things were about to break up in Chicago, so he didn’t want to join the team.
“And a little birdie told me that sh– was about to break up in Chicago. So, I didn’t want to walk into that. You didn’t want to go to no bulls—. Yeah, it was just like, it was a lot of business that wasn’t handled. Contracts, people leaving, and coaches were leaving, it was whispers. So I didn’t want to deal with that. And I was already comfortable here, so the only place I’d have left for would have been Chicago.”
Anthony made it clear that he was happy in New York at the time. He thought that the Knicks had a better chance to win, based on what was about to happen. Because of that, he stayed with the Knicks. Being a native New Yorker also made it harder for the Bulls to bring him in.
GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony drives the ball. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Chicago had no Chance of Landing Carmelo Anthony
Around that time, the core of the Bulls was starting to implode. Derrick Rose was suffering from numerous injuries and was never the same. Tom Thibodeau was near the end of his tenure, as well. Without a star player next to him, Anthony thought it was best to stay in New York.
The Bulls fizzled out and never came close to seriously competing for an NBA championship. Only now are they finally entering a full rebuild. They have remade their front office and coaching staff, and a full roster change is likely on the docket for this offseason.
As for Anthony, he never won an NBA championship. The Knicks never seriously contended for a title, either. He tried to make runs at a ring with the Thunder, Lakers, and Rockets, but he was never able to get the ring that he craved. It seemed to work out poorly for both sides.
Had the coaching staff and core of the team not imploded, perhaps Anthony would have signed in Chicago at some point.
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