Joakim Noah: Carmelo Anthony made ‘the right decision for him’
The Chicago Bulls had major plans for the offseaoson. They targeted New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony and although Anthony admitted that he nearly signed with the Bulls and even moved them to the top of his list on two separate occasions (he also had the Los Angeles Lakers at the top of his list at one point), he re-signed with the Knicks. The Bulls made up for missing out on Anthony by signing Los Angeles Lakers’ big man Pau Gasol to a three-year, $22 million deal and Real Madrid forward Nikola Mirotić, who they have held the draft rights to since 2011, to a three-year, $17 million deal. They also re-signed point guard Kirk Hinrich and added veteran point guard Aaron Brooks. They also traded the rights to their 16th and 19th-overall selections for the rights to the 11th-overall pick, former Creighton Blue Jays’ forward Doug McDermott.
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Bulls’ center Joakim Noah tried to recruit Anthony several times and obviously wanted him to join the Bulls, but thinks Anthony made the “right decision for him.”
“I think he did the right decision for him,” Noah said via Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago. “We obviously recruited him pretty hard. I think he had to make the best decision for him. I’m really excited for our team the way it is. I think we’re deeper. I think those things, me personally, I can’t control where another man goes. He feels like New York is the best position for him. I’m happy for him. But at the end of the day, what I care about is this city and the Chicago Bulls.”
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.