Quote:
Carmelo says Rose recruited him, he almost signed with Bulls
In an upcoming documentary on Carmelo Anthony's hectic, two-week free agency, the seven-time All-Star admits being thisclose to choosing the Bulls over the Knicks.
According to the NY Post, which obtained footage of the documentary, Anthony admits to his decision coming down to the Knicks and Bulls, going so far as to say, "There was one point in time I was like, 'Oh, I'm going [to the Bulls]."
Perhaps more surprising is that Anthony, in a conversation with agent Leon Rose, said that he and Derrick Rose had been talking, calling the former MVP "tough." Rose had faced criticism during the offseason for sticking to his guns and not actively recruiting Anthony, though he did show up for a workout the day Anthony met with Bulls officials at the United Center.
And after that visit - the Bulls were Anthony's first meeting - Anthony also tells Leon Rose that the Bulls knocked their presentation out of the park and that the Bulls wanted Anthony to be the piece that took them "to the next level," according to Anthony.
"You could see the culture they have over there. The seriousness they have, what they're about. It comes down to winning to me, and that's what they're about. That's what I like. They hit everything on the nail," he said. "That's hard to do."
Anthony's manager, Bay Frazier, said Anthony would go to sleep leaning toward Chicago and wake up leaning toward New York. Frazier also said money was a factor; though a sign-and-trade would have been an option between the Knicks and Bulls, Chicago could only offer Anthony a maximum contract of $74 million, and when compared to the $124 million the Knicks could offer Frazier called it a "no-brainer."
Anthony has said in the past that staying in New York, where he has settled in with a family over the last seven years, was a determining factor. And in the documentary, he reportedly states that the Rockets and Mavericks were out of the running for that very reason, that a kid from the East Coast couldn't deal with the "culture change" of living in Texas. He also didn't want to deal with the assumed rebuild that would take place in Los Angeles had he chosen to sign with the Lakers.
“I would advise any [player] who gets a chance to try free agency to do it,’’ Anthony said in the documentary. “But also the flip side of it is the s–t is stressful. The s–t is overwhelming. I would never do it again. I can say now I’ve experienced it. I would never ever do it again.’’
_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away." Frank Coztansa wrote:
I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.