Reports: Joakim Noah has continued recruitment of Carmelo Anthony
by Kurt Helin
May 5, 2014, 2:23 PM EDT
Ask any college coach in any sport — recruitment is almost never about one call, one visit. It’s about multiple texts and repeated calls, it’s kissing up to family and friends, and all sorts of ways big and small to show your interest in a particular player and why he/she fits the university, the team, etc.
Along those lines, Joakim Noah’s recruitment of Carmelo Anthony to come to the Bulls has not been just one conversation All-Star Weekend.
It has continued and still continues, a source told the Chicago Sun.
According to several sources, including a teammate, Noah’s All-Star Weekend “conversation’’ with New York Knicks standout Carmelo Anthony didn’t end in New Orleans. They had discussions via text the rest of the season, including the day after the Bulls were eliminated in the playoffs by the Washington Wizards.
“I was kidding Jo that they were boys now,’’ a source said in a phone interview Friday. “ ‘Well, get your boy to come to Chicago.’’’
‘Melo has said he wants the “full Dwight Howard treatment” in terms of being a recruited free agent, and certainly the full-court-press by Chandler Parsons on Howard impacted that decision. So Noah is on the right path.
But one other thing Noah has made clear through this is he doesn’t want to get Anthony at the expense of Taj Gibson, according to the report. If it is one of the other, Noah wants to keep his teammate.
Which means a steep pay cut for Anthony (down into the four years, $60 million range, maybe a little more depending on the moves).
There are conflicting reports about what Carmelo Anthony wants to do this summer, most likely because Carmelo Anthony doesn’t know what he wants to do this summer. How important is being in New York and leading the Knicks? Does he trust Phil Jackson to rebuild (and James Dolan to stay out of his way)? How important is winning (the Knicks can and should improve but the Bulls or Rockets are several big steps ahead)? How important is money? What is important to his family?
He has a lot of questions to figure out for himself. The Knicks retaining him remains the morning line favorite, but we have to see how the race plays out.
If you want to influence that decision, recruiting him now is a smart play.
.....................................
Report: Joakim Noah still recruiting Carmelo Anthony to Bulls
By Marc Weinreich
Bulls center Joakim Noah is still reportedly recruiting Knicks franchise forward Carmelo Anthony to the Bulls, with the Chicago’s big man reportedly texting him as recently as last week, a day after the Bulls suffered a season ending loss to the Washington Wizards on April 29.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, citing several league sources including one of Noah’s teammates in Chicago, the two players have been engaged in conversations throughout the second half of the season amid reports in March that Noah tried to recruit him to Chicago while they were in New Orleans for NBA All-Star weekend.
That specific report about the alleged discussions in New Orleans prompted speculation at the time that Noah could be subject to a fine or suspension for violating league tampering rules but a league investigation never occurred and Noah said he wouldn’t address that kind of” gossip.” But he stopped short of denying the conversations happened, saying only it “doesn’t matter.” Head coach Tom Thibodeau chimed in, calling the reports “nonsense.”
According to Cowley, Noah has been urging other teammates to join in on his reported talks to bring Anthony to Chicago. He has pushed for the team to exhaust all efforts to bring Anthony to the Bulls save for getting rid of forward-center Taj Gibson, who has three years and $25 million remaining on his contract with Chicago.
The Bulls finished the regular season 48-34 before bowing out to the Wizards in the first round of the playoffs, while the Knicks failed to make the postseason, finishing 37-45.
