Carmelo To Chicago Bulls: NYC Products Noah, Gibson Makes The Pitch To Melo

Arguably, the Chicago Bulls' top two players last year were Taj Gibson, who narrowly missed winning Sixth Man of the Year, and Joakim Noah, who was named to the All NBA First Team and named Defensive Player of the Year.

Noah and Gibson are also New York City products.

Melo should be feelin' the love in the Windy City being greeted by THIS at the United Center.

So who better to know where Carmelo Anthony is coming from, than two NYC guys who grew up playing ball in the Big Apple and are now thriving as pros in the Windy City.

Particularly Joakim Noah, who grew up hating Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls and makes no secret about it.

Now the blue collar, hard-nosed, chip-on-the-shoulder style that both Noah and Gibson play with is the identity of this defensive-oriented Chicago Bulls team.

It is a style that Carmelo Anthony played with as he tried to will his under-achieving Knicks into the Eastern Conference playoffs only to fall just short.

It must have been an incredible disappointment for a player that has lead a team to a rare title before (the NCAA Championship in 2003). Other reasons have been sited, but is that the real reason Carmelo opted out of the final year of his Knicks contract. A final year that was worth $23.3M?

Chicago also knows disappointment, having been so close to the NBA Finals in 2011 and being the favorites in the East in 2012 before Derrick Rose went down in the first game of the playoffs. And last year, the Bulls also fought and clawed their way through the East.

It is time that Melo joined with guys that will battle every night, the kind of soldiers he can win with.

It is time that he come to Chicago and win a championship.

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