*But as the Bulls and Knicks get set to square off against one another on Sunday night, the respect that Tom Thibodeau and his team have for the perennial All-Star is telling.* When asked about the notion that Anthony is a "selfish" offensive player, Thibodeau quickly brushed it aside.* "It's interesting because with USA Basketball, they talk about him being a playmaker," Thibodeau said. "Just making (plays). He scores and if a guy's open he passes the ball. And I think oftentimes it's who he plays with. It's interesting -- a lot of the things you hear about him, I heard about*Kevin Garnett,*Ray Allen*and*Paul Pierce*before they came together and won (an NBA championship). And that changes perception. And so what Carmelo's done throughout his career -- he's been one of the elite scorers in this league for a long, long, long time."
Thibs is a wizard. What a great sales pitch through the press to Melo. Melo already sees him as a winner. Just have to plant the seed that Thibs, Rose, Noah and the gang are the ones that can make Melo's reputation change from disappointment to champion. Now, can the front office get it done? Easier said than done of course.
Our point guards were off tonight, however, Rose is not with us. that has to be a big plus for Melo. Now if he can convince NY to trade him here and not gut the team a hell of a lot, we would be on to something.
At some point, going to war with Kirk Hinrich and DJ Augustin is going to catch up with you. Its a miracle that this squad is at where its at. Let's hope for a talent upgrade in the off season, along with a returning Rose at full strength. Its funny, getting coached on a Thibs team is almost a better selling point than playing alongside Rose at this point. Rose is the question mark, not Thibs. Melo would have to fear the front office, since he wants to join an organization that he can be confident will surround him with talent to win a title. Heck, if the main selling point is Thibs, the front office seems to take pleasure in dicking him around, so who knows.
Oh I agree and I see both sides. On the one hand Melo sees a team struggling with consistency and on the other he hopefully realizes Rose ain't on the choo-choo 2 years running and with a healthy Rose and Anthony playing both ends and distributing when need be on O The Bulls, as long as their roster isn't completely decimated would be a filthy beast of a team.