Carmelo Anthony Says Derrick Rose Recruited Him

One of the sub-plots of the NBA summer was that Derrick Rose didn’t recruit Carmelo Anthony for the Chicago Bulls. Anthony says Rose did just that.

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One of the more insidious and really annoying sub-plots of NBA free agency last summer apparently can be put to rest: Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose did actually recruit Carmelo Anthony.

So, now that that’s out of the way.

A new video detailing Anthony’s two-week dip into the free agency pool shows just how close the New York Knicks’ star was to requesting a sign-and-trade from New York to Chicago, according to the New York Post.

"“There was one point in time I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going,’” Anthony says in the documentary."

The program, to be aired on MSG Network on Tuesday, is called Carmelo Anthony: Made in NY and is billed as a behind-the-scenes, day-by-day look at free agency from Anthony’s point of view.

At one point during a meeting at a Chicago lounge with agent Leon Rose and manager Bay Frazier, Anthony said:

"“D-Rose is tough. He even hit me [up]. I’ve been talking to him. Him and [Joakim] Noah. Noah’s more outgoing. But I’m glad we did them first.”"

According to the film, Anthony ruled out the Houston Rockets because of the “culture change” of living in Texas and the Los Angeles Lakers because they were in the same rebuilding mode as the Knicks.

And on free agency in general?

"“I would advise any [player] who gets a chance to try free agency to do it,” Anthony said. “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.”"

Anthony wound up re-signing with the Knicks for a slightly less than maximum deal of five years and $124 million.

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