Thinking the Bulls should like the 'Melo deal by Steve Rosenbloom
Some scouts believe Anthony won’t fit into coach Mike D’Antoni’s frantic offensive system because he doesn’t pass the ball quickly or enough. But Anthony certainly fits into D’Antoni’s defensive system, which involves getting back as if someone’s taking attendance for detention.

What’s more, the most basketball-savvy guy in the deal, Chauncey Billups, likes to play too controlled for D’Antoni’s style.

Maybe Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire figure it out, but this sure seems exactly like the type of team you want the Bulls to face in the playoffs, and Bulls-Knicks would’ve been the first-round matchup if the postseason started the day of the trade. I know the Knicks beat the Bulls twice earlier this season, but this is a better Bulls team with a far better Derrick Rose. I also know the Knicks became a tougher cover, but Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has grown this group into a smothering defensive bunch.

So, if the Bulls can’t get the top seed in the Eastern Conference, then facing these Knicks seems like a nice opening-round consolation prize.

Here's another one:

Can the Bulls beat the Knicks with Carmelo?
by Sam Smith
Here comes Joakim back to play Wednesday, and here comes the Miami Heat Thursday to the United Center, as the unofficial post All-Star break stretch drive begins Tuesday in the NBA. If the playoffs started today, it would be Bulls and–uh oh–Carmelo Anthony’s Knicks?

Yes, the much anticipated and too much discussed trade finally is expected to be finalized Tuesday with Anthony and Chauncey Billups the key pieces going to New York for a package of Knicks starters, including Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Ray Felton and Timofey Mozgov.

Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry go to Minnesota as the Knicks also surrender their 2014 first-round pick and $3 million. The Knicks also get Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Corey Brewer. Denver also gets two second round picks from Minnesota.
So let’s take a look at that first round matchup:

Point guard: Derrick Rose vs Billups.
Edge Bulls

Shooting guard: Keith Bogans vs Landry Fields.
Edge Knicks

Small forward: Luol Deng vs Anthony.
Edge Knicks

Power forward: Carlos Boozer vs Amar’e Stoudemire.
Edge Knicks

Center: Joakim Noah vs Ronny Turiaf.
Edge Bulls

Uh oh?

It’s, of course, a long way to go with playoff positioning as the Bulls could move up or down and the Knicks perhaps down given the adjustment period with a half dozen new players being added to the roster in the middle of the season.

So the big questions become: How good are the Knicks? Are they better? Are they a threat to win a first round series with a second starting All-Star? And former All-Star Billups.

With Billups having one year left after this season at $14.2 million, assuming the Knicks don’t exercise a buyout after this season which now seems unlikely, the Knicks will be in position for the much discussed threesome by adding either Chris Paul or Deron Williams, both free agents after next season.

Both, of course, denied any such intention this past weekend, which, of course, means nothing.

It would be the culmination of the plan breezily put in motion at Anthony’s wedding last summer when Paul made a wedding toast about he, Anthony and Stoudemire teaming up in New York to match LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami.

Even Anthony got a laugh out of it All-Star weekend telling Paul about the media hysteria, “This is your fault. You started all this.”

Hey, how about us, the Bulls might be screaming.

Actually, no one is dismissing the Bulls as they have their own triple threat in Rose, Noah and Boozer, with Luol Deng for good measure.

But this pairing in New York will be a good test of the theory of modern day basketball, started with the Celtics a few years ago, that you need three All-Stars to win.

It’s not that the Bulls are chopped liver with three All-Star level talents in Rose, Boozer and Noah.

By the way, though comparing something to chopped liver is an ill thought out cliché, I will say from personal experience there is no worse tasting dish than liver and a spread of it made with goose fat would be insulting even to this season’s Cavs. But I digress. Again.

The point is whether the East again got that much better with still another former Western Conference All-Star relocating in New York. And then when Paul or Williams come as well…

Though, again, we get a chance to see if team can transcend star.

islesfan wrote:I wouldn't be worrying about this year and I wouldn't expect much with how the roster looks outside of the 1,3 and 4 spots. It will be a big testament to Carmelo and Amare's talent level if they have a team playing at a level that can make their playoff opponent sweat.

Why can't they cause problems for other playoff teams? Billups, Fields, Melo, STAT & Turiaf is a very competitive group and we'll only be mixing in another 3-4 guys off the bench. The bulk of the load will be carried by our top guys. Mike doesn't play a deep rotation anyway. If Donnie can get us bigman help this team is still very strong. The only issue is not enough time to develop chemistry.

nixluva wrote:

islesfan wrote:I wouldn't be worrying about this year and I wouldn't expect much with how the roster looks outside of the 1,3 and 4 spots. It will be a big testament to Carmelo and Amare's talent level if they have a team playing at a level that can make their playoff opponent sweat.

Why can't they cause problems for other playoff teams? Billups, Fields, Melo, STAT & Turiaf is a very competitive group and we'll only be mixing in another 3-4 guys off the bench. The bulk of the load will be carried by our top guys. Mike doesn't play a deep rotation anyway. If Donnie can get us bigman help this team is still very strong. The only issue is not enough time to develop chemistry.

Because it's very difficult to bring all these new pieces together over a very short period of time. Plus the top 4 teams in the East are playing at a very very high level and to expect the Knicks to match that is not being very realistic.