Bulls will try to get Melo this summer

[Chris]

I am disappointed because it looks like if Melo does opt out, Boston will not be on his list of preferred destinations

Back to the original point, yeah I think if Melo goes to Chicago, that becomes a real scary team.

Melo has never had a defensive minded coach like Thibs before and unlike Denver and New York, Chicago could be exactly what Melo is looking for.

I can also see a deal being worked out where the Bulls trade some combo of Boozer's expiring, Gibson, Jimmy Butler, Tony Snell, draft picks in a S/T deal for Melo.

Thibs would last about half a season in Chicago with the snitchster on his team.  The snitchster and Thibs is an absolute trainwreck.  Worst than los Nash and Howard in LA. The snitchster has a los Nash-type disdain for defense that nobody... Thibs,  Noah or anybody else can cover for.

See, I don't buy this.  First of all, I don't think Thibs is the type of coach who can't stand guys who aren't good defenders.  He actually has made a career of turning bad defenders into decent ones, by motivating them, and integrating them into a system that hides their weaknesses.

Second, I think Melo can absolutely be motivated to play defense, you just need to have the right guys around him.  Melo is competitive, and wants to win, but he also is succeptible to losing focus when other players on the team lose focus. 

I actually think Melo would be a great fit on that Chicago team.  You would basically be able to hide him defensively with Noah, Gibson, and Butler carrying the load, while Melo and Rose carry the load offensively, and Thibs I think will get him much more disciplined. 

That is, of course, if Thibs is back next year.

[Vermont Green]

I agree with Chris above in that the idea that Melo can't play defense is more urban legend than truth.  There would be no need to "hide" Melo's defense.  I think he would do just fine on a defensively minded team.

On offense he scores but at the expense of holding the ball too much.  Structuring the offense so that he got the required touches/attempts, without it ending up people standing round watching would be more of the challenge for Thibs in my opinion.

[LooseCannon]

I agree with Chris above in that the idea that Melo can't play defense is more urban legend than truth.

The knock on Melo hasn't been that he can't defend, it's that he could, but doesn't.  Some people tend to think that acquiring Carmelo Anthony because you think you have the right coach/system to make him play defense is about as smart as acquiring Josh Smith because you think you have the right coach/system to make him have better shot selection.

Even if you thought that Melo can be made to play defense, I'd argue that a young and relatively inexperienced coach like Brad Stevens is the wrong coach for the job.  He needs to build up a reputation before you bring in a guy like Carmelo Anthony.

[celtic -_- pride]

A core of melo, rose and Noah would be a very very good team. Melo takes a huge load off of rose's back and Noah holds down the paint. Remember how Ray Allen was viewed as garbage on the defensive end ? He did just fine with the celtics. Defense is more about effort and determination than anything and I think melo would have all the motivation with that coaching staff/roster

[Finkelskyhook]

You have a top-3 defensive center in New York right now.  Arguably at least as good as Noah.  Hasn't motivated the snitchster to play defense in New York.  I have no idea how a coaching change is going to make a difference in his approach when he's played little or no defense for 3 coaches already.

The snitchster at least made an effort to play defense briefly under both D'Antoni and Woodson and his teams went on winning streaks because of it.  He then went back to having a disdain for defense and subsequently got D'Antoni fired ....Woodson will soon suffer the same fate.  To say this guy "cares about winning" is a fallacy. If he cared about winning he wouldn't quit on his coaches..(D'Antoni, Karl) And he'd at least make a consistent effort on defense. 

[McHales Pits]

If Phil Jackson takes the job in NY, I think the likelihood that Anthony leaves New York dramatically decreases.

[SparzWizard]

It don't matter, as long as he doesn't stack in any of the East teams, I'm cool with that.

[gpap]

If Phil Jackson takes the job in NY, I think the likelihood that Anthony leaves New York dramatically decreases.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

I am not quite sure that Jackson still has the same cachet he once did.

He's been out of the game now for two years.

[fairweatherfan]

If Phil Jackson takes the job in NY, I think the likelihood that Anthony leaves New York dramatically decreases.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

I am not quite sure that Jackson still has the same cachet he once did.

He's been out of the game now for two years.

Melo does have a player option, so a 1 year commitment and being a FA in 2015 when more teams will have cap space is less risky than resigning entirely.

I think he'll still look at options but there's a good chance he picks the option up and waits a year.