Carmelo Anthony should request a trade to the Chicago Bulls

New York Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony, whether he recognizes it or not, is at a crossroads in his career. After signing a five-year $124 million contract during the 2014 offseason to remain with New York, things quickly went south for Anthony and the Knicks.

The Knicks won just 17 games last season, and on top of that Anthony suffered a left knee injury which forced him to have season-ending surgery in late February. It is hard to believe that the Knicks have become so putrid this quickly. It was just three seasons ago in 2012-13 that the team went to the second round of the playoffs and seemed to be an emerging power player in the Eastern Conference.

Fast forward to today: the Knicks are in the rebuilding process and aren’t contending for a championship in the slightest way.

Anthony, who is 31-years-old, must realize that his window of opportunity in terms of winning a championship is closing fast, and that the odds of him winning one in New York are slim to none. Therefore, to the chagrin of the faithful New York fan base, he must say goodbye to The Big Apple and request a trade if he has any desires to win an NBA championship.

Where? Perhaps to the Chicago Bulls.

Anthony was heavily pursued by the Bulls during the free agency period of 2014, and many throughout the league thought he would sign because it put him in the best position to compete for championships. In the end, Anthony said thanks but no thanks.

It is clear that he made the wrong decision by re-signing with the Knicks, but he can make up for his past mistakes by waiving his no-trade clause and requesting a trade to The Windy City.

Anthony would give the Bulls an explosive scorer that they desperately need, and he would pair up nicely with all-star caliber players Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. His arrival in Chicago would catapult the Bulls to new heights, giving them one of the best scorers this game has ever seen.

The Bulls tend to suffer long scoring droughts that take them out of games. Although new head coach Fred Hoiberg’s up-tempo offensive system has produced some better scoring results this season, it is hard to believe that his presence alone can push a team returning the same roster over the edge.

They need a player who can score at a prolific rate, make tough contested shots and be a constant option late in close games. This description, if it were to have a name attached to it, would read Carmelo Anthony.

For his career, Anthony has averaged 25.2 points per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. His ability to beat opposing teams from the perimeter and in the paint make him one of the toughest players in the league to guard. The Bulls lack consistent shooting on their roster and thus have a hard time scoring at times. Other than Rose and Butler, the Bulls don’t have players on their roster who can create shots and space for themselves.

Last season the Bulls ranked 22nd in the league in field goal percentage at 44.2 percent and 15th in points per game at 100.8; this season they’re No. 20 in field goal percentage and No. 16 in ppg. Adding Carmelo to the mix would surely increase the Bulls’ scoring output and field goal percentage.

In Chicago, he would be joining a talented group that plays tough defense and is just missing a scorer of Anthony’s stature.

Anthony’s ability to play the three and four position would benefit the Bulls immensely. Because he can stretch the floor with his shooting capacity, driving lanes would open up for guys like Rose and Butler to penetrate through, thus getting easy high percentage shots at the rim.

For the Bulls to get Anthony from the Knicks, they would most likely have to send a package deal including Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a couple of draft picks. If that offer doesn’t please Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson enough, taking out Gibson and replacing him with Noah, whose $13 million-plus cap number is expiring after this year, might just trigger this trade.

Of course all of this is contingent upon Anthony waiving his no-trade clause. Carmelo has been loyal to the Knicks throughout their struggles, but will his loyalty fade away if the Knicks continue to be repugnant?

The Bulls would have one of the deepest starting lineups in the league if Anthony does indeed request a trade to Chicago. It would consist of Rose, Butler, Anthony and second year forward Nikola Mirotic, who is quickly becoming one of the best young players in the league.

The center position would be up in the air, as it is dependent upon whom Jackson asks for in return. Anthony going to the Bulls presents both player and franchise the opportunity to win an NBA championship immediately.

Jackson would unquestionably want Gasol in the trade given their history together with the Los Angeles Lakers. Noah would be an intriguing player, given how well Noah passes the ball for a big man.

The Bulls bench and front court depth would take a hit with this hypothetical trade, though. McDermott is a great shooter and Gasol, Gibson and Noah are all valuable big men in this league.

Mike Dunleavy, along with third year player Tony Snell, backup point guard Aaron Brooks and rookie Bobby Portis would fill out Chicago’s bench. The Bulls also have serviceable veterans on the team such as Kirk Hinrich and E’Twaun Moore.

With any trade in sports, there are always going to be positives and negatives and this scenario is no different.

The positive is that the Bulls would be adding an eight time all-star who can score at will and it would improve the Bulls’ chances of winning the championship. The negatives would be that the organization would absorb Anthony’s massive contract, thus limiting their flexibility moving forward, along with giving up valuable talent in order to acquire him.

The Bulls, if Anthony does indeed waive his no-trade clause and picks the Bulls as the next team he wants to play for, have to pull the trigger on a trade no matter the quandary. The team is in a win-now mode and can’t pass up on the opportunity to add a talent like Anthony to the roster.

Chicago’s current best three-point shooter is Dunleavy, but he is out with a back injury and his return date is unknown. Dunleavy shot 40.7 percent from three-point land last season and his shooting touch has been missed by the Bulls early on this season.

Bringing Carmelo onto the team would bolster the Bulls’ three-point game but would also give Hoiberg another player to use in the pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop game. Anthony is a career 34.5 percent shooter from three, which would place him second on the team to the aforementioned Dunleavy, who sits at 37.6 percent for his career from the three-point line.

Opposing defenses game planning for the Bulls would have to pick their poison on a given night. A team that has Rose, Butler and Anthony will not have trouble scoring the ball and will be in attack mode, constantly putting pressure on opposing defenses.

Rose has career averages of 20.3 points per game while dishing out 6.5 assists. Butler became an all-star in 2014-15 and averaged 20 point per game while also being a pest on the defense end.

Having Butler by his side is going to benefit Carmelo greatly. Butler will take the responsibility of guarding the opposing teams best wing player which will allow Carmelo to focus on what he does best, scoring the ball. His defense has always been the weakest part of his game, but if he plays on a good defensive team like Chicago, he won’t get as exposed as he does playing for the Knicks.

Coach Hoiberg could run sets all game long with Anthony setting picks for Rose or Butler, and then Anthony, either using his size to roll towards the basket and get an easy score or popping out to the three-point line and using his shooting touch to carve defenses apart, would have the best of both worlds.

Carmelo had a points per possession rate greater than 1.0 in the pick-and-roll setup according to Synergy Film in the 2013-14 season, when his point guard was primarily Raymond Felton. If a player has a points per possession rating of 1.0 or greater in a prevalent scoring situation in the NBA, that player is deemed efficient by basketball and analytical standards.

That was the most recent season that this statistic could be recorded for Carmelo specifically. Last season he missed 42 games after undergoing knee surgery and didn’t qualify for this statistic. Playing with an explosive point guard in Rose with the Bulls, Carmelo’s points per possession rate should be as efficient or even better.

Since he entered the league in 2003, Anthony has been asked to carry the offensive load for his team day in and day out, and it continues to this day with the Knicks. He has the perception of being a volume shooter but Anthony’s high volume shooting is a byproduct of the offenses he has played in and the lack of talent that has surrounded him.

Pairing him up with Rose and Butler would take some of the offensive pressure off of Anthony and he could play more fluid and freely on the court.

Carmelo’s legacy at the moment is of a guy who can score the ball with the best of them but could never find the right situation at the right time. Anthony was criticized for re-signing with New York because clearly everyone knew that going to Chicago was the logical thing for him to do. It’s hard however for any NBA player to pass up the amount of money that New York offered him.

Anthony was clearly comfortable living in the city of New York and wasn’t ready to move his family out to Chicago.

Basketball wise, the fit is still there with the Bulls and it is all in Anthony’s hands now. At any moment he can waive his no-trade clause and request a trade, which the Knicks will likely have to honor.

Carmelo is delusional if he thinks the Knicks are going to become a contender anytime soon. For his own good, he needs to approach Phil Jackson candidly and request a trade. Anthony is the missing piece the Bulls need to win the championship. Anthony needs the Bulls just as much as the Bulls need Anthony.

It is a match made in heaven.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the favorites to not only represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals but to win the championship as well.

If Carmelo does the sensible thing and requests a trade to Chicago, would that be enough to get the Bulls passed LeBron James and the Cavaliers?

Only one way to find out.

Carmelo Anthony in a Chicago Bulls uniform is the best-case scenario for the 31-year old scoring machine going forward, and by any means necessary it should happen.

Waiving his no-trade clause and requesting a trade to the Chicago Bulls is the easiest way for it to occur.