What Is A Legacy Worth? Carmelo To Chicago Bulls More Than A Money Decision

CHICAGO, IL.  As I watched the Chicago Bulls battle back from an 11 point deficit in the 4th quarter to force OT and then hold Miami to 2 (almost meaningless) points in overtime to pull out the win, I couldn't help but think that, if Melo were on this Bulls team, we'd have the Championship on lock.

Joakim Noah willed the Chicago Bulls+ to the OT win over Lebron and the Heat, but what if Carmelo were on the Bulls?

The victory gave the Chicago Bulls a 2-2 record against the Miami Heat on the season. Tom Thibodeau has never had a losing regular season record vs. Miami during his tenure in Chicago.

In Chicago, we know that the Bulls can get it done against the Heat in the regular season. The Bulls have a greater will to win than the Heat do.

But where we need Melo is come playoff time.

As good a player as Boozer is (with minutes, he is a consistent 18 and 10 guy), and as much as he steps up his game in the playoffs, he never gets the calls against the Heat, when his and-1s are waved off and called a charge by the ref EVERY TIME.

Derrick Rose is the former NBA MVP, and Joakim Noah is rising to the top echelon of elite NBA centers. However, with the addition of Melo, we would have a bonafide superstar that will get the superstar calls against the Heat.

But what's in it for Carmelo Anthony?

After all of the Carmelo to the Chicago Bulls articles talking about how it was impossible because of the difference in money there is for Carmelo if he stays in New York compared to if he left, you would think there wasn't anything in it for him, but...

... Carmelo has already announced his intention of opting out of his current contract this summer to test free-agency. That simple choice leaves a season's worth of guaranteed money on the table-- $23.3 million worth of guaranteed money to be exact.

I'd have to take Melo at face value when he says that he wants to play for championships, and that the money was secondary.

When he forced his way out of Denver, it was with that intention, however, the incompetence of the Knicks front office made what should have been a great winning situation for Melo into the current mess that won't be fixed in the handful of years left in Carmelo's prime.

Carmelo clearly sees that he needs to move to a winning situation this summer to have the biggest window for claiming an NBA Championship. And everyone sees that winning situation as being ideal in Chicago.

Chicago only has to do two things:

1.  Don't mortgage the farm to clear max space for Melo.  Melo needs a winning situation, with the money being a secondary consideration. Translation: do not make the same mistake the Knicks made! Do not trade Taj Gibson!

2.  Sell Melo on the challenge that Lebron was afraid to accept: filling Jordan's shoes.  Melo is a scoring champion and a great clutch player. And he is up to the challenge of challenging Lebron, and he IS the player that will take on the shadow of Michael Jordan, and bring the NBA Championship to Chicago!

No one knows better than Carmelo's boss, Michael Jordan, that your legacy has more value than what your NBA salary is. Jordan still stars in ads for Hanes, 2K Sports, and his own Jordan Brand with Nike because of the legacy that he built on winning championships.

Melo must win a championship to put his face on the Mount Rushmore of NBA Greats, and the New York Knicks do not offer him that opportunity in the foreseeable future.

Joakim Noah was right when he said that if Melo wanted to win championships, he needed to come to Chicago.

What do you think about Carmelo joining the Chicago Bulls? Would that be enough to win an NBA Championship? Tell us what you think in the comments below!