New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony loves the thought of playing with recent acquisitions Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.
After years of inconsistency, the New York Knicks have finally made strides towards achieving stability. Carmelo Anthony was signed to a long-term contract in 2014, Kristaps Porzingis was drafted in 2015, and Phil Jackson signed multiple players to four-year deals in 2016.
Though a number of moves received praise, nothing Jackson did in 2016 was quite as compelling as the acquisition of two former Chicago Bulls stars.
Jackson began his restructuring of the roster by trading for 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose. Shortly thereafter, he signed 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah to a four-year deal worth $72 million.
According to Nick Friedell of ESPN, Anthony loves the Noah and Rose deals.
"“We love them,” Anthony said. “We love those additions. And we’re looking forward to getting the season going. And I think everybody is excited, the excitement is back. Right now there’s an adjustment on paper, but of course we have some work to do putting it all together, making it work. But we’re going to ride the wave of this excitement right now.”"
Most Knicks fans share the sentiment.
Rose has battled a long list of injuries, but he’s proven to be quite effective when healthy. In 2015-16, he averaged 17.4 points on a slash line of .468/.375/.784 in 30.9 minutes after the All-Star Break.
Expand that search to the 49 games that Rose played without the protective mask that obscured his vision and he averaged 17.3 points on 44.9 percent shooting from the field.
Noah has battled injuries, as well, but he’s not the type of player who’s gotten by on his athleticism. Instead, Noah is a vocal leader who relentlessly crashes the boards, anchors the defensive interior, and passes beautifully from the high post.
Both Noah and Rose should be able to rediscover some form of their past success in 2016-17.
Exciting as this all may be, the move from Chicago to New York is one that’s likely to anger Bulls fans. The Knicks and Bulls were bitter rivals during the 1990s, and that tension has remained present throughout the duration of the 2000s and 2010s.
Anthony is just as hopeful as the media that signing Noah and Rose will reinvigorate the longstanding rivalry between Chicago and New York.
"“I know you guys want that,” Anthony said. “I know you’re living for that. But we embrace that. I think as players, as competitors, we embrace all of those challenges and rivalries, that’s what makes the sport great again, so we embrace that.”"
Hopefully this decade’s Bulls-Knicks rivalry will favor New York in the way that the 1990s favored Chicago.
Anthony, Noah, and Rose lead a group that includes Porzingis, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings, and Lance Thomas. In Chicago, Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade will lead a core that includes Rajon Rondo, Robin Lopez, Taj Gibson, and Nikola Mirotic.
The Knicks and Bulls are all but certain to play on a significant date in 2016-17.
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New York can only hope that its new signings will help it prevail against Chicago and other NBA foes.