Chicago Bulls Rumors: Knicks viewed as main competition for Carmelo Anthony
By Josh Hill
The Chicago Bulls are hot on the trail of prized free agent Carmelo Anthony, so much so that their trip to Los Angeles today on the same day Melo will be there to meet with the Lakers could be perceived as a form of stalking.
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But the Bulls have reason to be nervous baout hteir chances of signing Melo which is why they’re in Los Angeles not to hide behind the bushes and listen while Melo meets with the ‘other woman’ in the Lakers, but to meet with Pau Gasol as a backup plan to Melo.
As Joe Crowley from the Chicago Sun-Times points out, the Bulls are not overly confident they’ll land Melo but they only really see the Knicks as the main competition to keep them from signing him and not Houston or Los Angeles.
"They’re headed to Los Angeles for a meeting with Lakers free-agent big man Pau Gasol, not only as an alternate plan if Anthony re-signs with the Knicks — the only team Bulls officials think is a threat in the sweepstakes — but also to sell Gasol on the idea that they can fit him under the salary cap with Anthony, but they’d have to get creative."
The Knicks are starting to emerge as the frontrunners to land Melo, although don’t mistake them for distance frontrunners. This all could end up being a case where Melo just needed to be in someone else’s arms for a one night stand to realize that he has back in New York as the flings with Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles might end up driving him back into the arms of New York by the end of the weekend.