Carmelo Anthony will be the target of every team in the offseason when he opts out of his contract with the New York Knicks. Anthony has already announced his intentions to forgo the remaining year on his contract and not prolong free agency and further, causing every team in the NBA to analyze their salary cap situation in order to sign him. After several players started recruiting Anthony over the All-Star break, head coach Mike Woodson is not too happy.
Woodson is calling out the Chicago Bulls for tampering after ESPN reported that Joakim Noah had spoken with Anthony about joining the team in the summer. Chris Broussard reported that Noah approached Anthony during the All-Star break and noted that if he wanted to win a championship, he would come and join the Bulls. Noah, Anthony and Derrick Rose would certainly be a new and dominating Big 3. According to the New York Daily News, Mike Woodson is not happy about the recruiting.
"You know legally, nobody can recruit anyone," Woodson said in a radio appearance on ESPN 98.7. "You can't do that at this point. Melo is still wearing a Knicks uniform and I hope he stays with the Knicks for the rest of his career. So whatever was said between Noah and the Chicago Bulls, that's on them."
Woodson is correct that the comments could be tampering. If Broussard's reporting are correct, a large fine could be headed Chicago's way. Anthony is still under contract with the Knicks no matter how much he may wish he was not and per NBA rules, other teams cannot talk to other players regarding upcoming free agency.
Anthony was reportedly non-committal to Noah regarding making the jump from New York. The guard told Noah that he respects how hard and hungry the Bulls are and that Rose is his son's favorite player. Rose has said he will be willing recruit Anthony in free agency, but not until it is allowed by the NBA. The Knicks may be able to offer Anthony $30 million more and an extra year on a contract over any other team, but they do not offer the chance to compete for a championship.
The Knicks are 5.5 games back from eighth-place Atlanta Hawks with 20 games to play. They could be in contention to keep Anthony's streak of 10 straight playoff appearances alive, but that is not likely considering the team's struggles recently. While many players in the league believe Anthony is poised to simply re-sign with the Knicks, recruiting from several top players could change his mind.