After awhile, the Nuggets just stopped calling the Bulls back.
They never seriously considered any other trade proposal for Carmelo Anthony but theirs, in which Joakim Noah was the centerpiece. But the package the Nuggets insisted upon also included the resurgent Luol Deng, a combination of lesser players and good draft picks with, though I can’t confirm this, the Jordan statue as a throw-in. They basically wanted to gut any roster that dared to add Anthony.
In retrospect, given the way Derrick Rose has developed into an MVP candidate who needs the ball the same way Anthony does, the Bulls wisely passed rather than pay the ridiculous going rate for an NBA superstar.
With one eye on the marquee and the other on the standings, the Knicks didn’t have the luxury of being as judicious.
So Tuesday they opted to follow their hearts instead of their heads. In some ways they panicked like a rookie forcing a 3-pointer with five seconds left on the shot clock. They traded for Anthony, one of the league’s most dynamic scorers, but had to give up four starters off a playoff team, two reserves, a first-round draft pick in 2014, $3 million in cash and probably access to Donald Trump’s jet too.
Sox general manager Ken Williams has a word for any professional sports team giving up that much for one player.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m relieved it’s over. I will miss Carmelo speculation like I miss 4-foot snow drifts. But the Knicks overpaid for a guy they likely could have signed in five months as a free-agent.
The longer the process dragged the clearer it became that the Knicks were the only team Anthony truly wanted. With the attraction obviously mutual, the Knicks likely could have signed Anthony this summer without giving up four players coach Mike D’Antoni and GM Donnie Walsh sought to keep.
That team built around Anthony and Amare Stoudemire might have challenged the Heat, Celtics and Bulls. To win in the East a team needs the type of quality interior depth the Knicks just unloaded.
This Knicks team, 28-26 and currently seeded sixth in the East, now has two elite offensive players who both need the ball, an aging Chauncey Billups at point guard and a bunch of guys who will watch. Anthony and Stoudemire give the Knicks the league’s most exciting 1-2 duo other than LeBron James and Dwyane Wade but defense and rebounding will be as scarce at Madison Square Garden as cheap seats.
Locally, adding Anthony immediately made the Bulls-Knicks rivalry more compelling and competitive. Coach Tom Thibodeau politely praised the deal Tuesday as one that makes the Knicks stronger. I prefer the term scarier, especially offensively. But Rose, the Bulls’ depth, overall team defense and rebounding still give them an edge if the teams were to meet in the first round. Say Bulls in six.
In time, Anthony gives the Knicks a shot to surpass the Bulls. But with the NBA’s CBA expiring June 30, the Knicks have no assurance they will be in position in 2012 to land Chris Paul or Deron Williams. A more restrictive salary cap looms for teams such as the Knicks, Magic and Heat with limited payroll flexibility. In contrast, the Bulls might have fewer future financial concerns than any contender in the East.
The planning the Bulls want to preserve started last summer. After going to Plan B and signing Carlos Boozer, they added Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Watson with two-year deals that include team options for a third. Those expiring contracts in 2012 could make the Bulls more aggressive as they search for the big-time player to put them over the top.
But barring a shocker, don’t expect the Bulls to do anything major before 3 p.m. Thursday — and dumping James Johnson on the Raptors doesn’t count. A more interesting date to watch is March 1.
That’s the deadline for teams to add players bought out by their old teams and still be eligible for the playoffs. A person familiar with the Bulls’ thinking mentioned that possibility as a way of increasing perimeter production without tinkering with team chemistry.
The Bulls can consider Noah their trade-deadline addition. As Noah returns Wednesday after missing 30 games with a thumb injury, he and Boozer only have played nine games together.
If Noah can give his team the boost down the stretch Anthony expects to provide the Knicks, it only will reinforce why the Bulls wanted so badly to keep him in town and their team intact.
Sponsored Link: Buy Chicago Bulls tickets for the 2010-11 season
