Carmelo Anthony is trying not to dwell on what could have been. The small forward was highly recruited by the Chicago Bulls to sign with the team in free agency which would have put him on a roster with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler. That rotation had championship written all over it. However, Anthony opted to remain with the New York Knicks and is now trying to convince himself it was the right move as the team sits 1-9 in their last 10 games while preparing to face the Bulls on Thursday night.
Anthony claims he re-signed with the Knicks due to his commitment to the organization and faith in Phil Jackson. He was likely also enticed by the five-year, $124 million contract New York was offering over just the $74 million Chicago could give him. However, the Bulls are 15-9 and currently leading the Central Division while the Knicks are just 5-22. The Knicks are in the midst of a six-game losing streak to the Bulls as things do not look like they will be getting any better.
Anthony is coming off a game where he was hampered with knee soreness but still put up 26 points in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He cannot afford to sit out a game as both JR Smith and Iman Shumpert continue to deal with injuries that will leave them off the court against Chicago and potentially longer. Tim Hardaway Jr is currently picking up the slack, averaging 17.8 points in the last four games, but has missed 23 of 32 shots in the past two.
Beating Chicago will not be easy considering the team will have Noah back on the court after he missed the past four games with an ankle injury. The team was doing well on defense without him, holding both the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks to a combined 84.0 points on 39.3 percent shooting. However, they fell to the Hawks 93-86 on the road Monday. The bulls currently lead the league averaging 105.6 point at home which is not a good sign for the Knicks defense.
