NBA Free Agents 2014 Rumors: Derrick Rose Not Planning to Recruit Carmelo Anthony to Chicago Bulls

By John Santisteban | Jun 30, 2014 10:59 PM EDT

TEXT SIZE    

Carmelo Anthony will officially begin his free agency discussions on Tuesday as he is scheduled to meet with the Chicago Bulls, but one popular figure will not be with the team when they make their pitch.

Derrick Rose told Yahoo Sports that he is not planning to recruit Anthony to the Bulls. When asked why, Rose insisted that such thing is not a part of his job, reiterating that anyone can come to Chicago if they want to.

"Not my job," Rose said of recruiting Anthony. "My thing is if they want to come, they can come."

Rose added, though, that he would Love to play with Anthony next season, knowing that the All-Star forward's scoring prowess could push them over the hump next season.

Anthony averaged 27.4 points to go along with 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season with the New York Knicks. Rose believe that he can co-exist with the high-scoring forward.

"I love Melo's game," Rose stressed. "He's a great player. Takes the game serious. He's consistent. He shoots the ball great. I love his heart. I can play with anybody, no matter who it is. I believe I can play with anyone if they step on the court with me."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau downplayed Rose's reluctance to make a pitch to Anthony, saying that they have been planning to recruit Anthony without their star point guard because their main selling point will be about the team and not Rose alone or about their key players.

"What we're selling is our team and so I'm sure free agents are well aware of our team and the guys that we do have and they'll research and our players will be available to talk," Thibodeau said. "We think we have a lot to offer, we think we have great depth, we have great tradition and we're positioned well to go forward."

After Tuesday's meeting with the Bulls, Anthony will reportedly fly to Texas on Wednesday to meet with the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets. The 30-year-old forward is also scheduled to sit down with Los Angeles Lakers officials next week in his LA home.

pre post  |  next post
More Sections