Carmelo Anthony rumors: Joakim Noah to meet with Anthony

Chicago Bulls’ star point guard and former NBA MVP Derrick Rose may not be recruiting New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony to the Bulls but that won’t stop Bulls’ center Joakim Noah from continuing to do so.

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The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has reportedly been recruiting Anthony, one of the league’s very best scorers for some time and although Anthony supposedly has not been returning Noah’s phone call, he is obviously very interested in playing for the Bulls.

Now that free agency is officially underway, Noah will get the chance to sell Anthony on the Bulls face-to-face.

The Bulls have been very stagnant on offense at times and despite having the one of the best defenses year in and year out (they finished second in defensive rating behind the Indiana Pacers last season), the Bulls have only advanced out of the first round once in the last three years, largely due to a struggling offense (and to the injuries to Rose, of course). Anthony could be exactly what the Bulls are looking for – a guy who can get buckets when the Bulls need them most.

Several other teams, including the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns are expected to compete with the Bulls and Knicks for Anthony services.

Anthony put up 27.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and shot 45.2% from the field, 40.2% from beyond the arc and 84.8% from the free throw line last season. Noah averaged 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 73.7% from the charity stripe.

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