After narrowing down the choice to play in either New York or Chicago, the money apparently won out over the prospect of winning, in spite of Carmelo's words to the contrary during a torturous and ugly 27-55 campaign last season as the leader of the Knicks.
With the max contract and a static roster situation until next summer, Melo seems to have opted for another lost season waiting to be surrounded by complementary parts.
Chicago Bulls Land Free Agent Pau Gasol
The Chicago Bulls moved forward immediately from missing on Carmelo and added Los Angeles Lakers 7' 0" Center Pau Gasol.The Chicago Bulls will complete a sign and trade with the Los Angeles Lakers for the two time NBA Champion and 4-time NBA All Star.
Last season, Gasol started 60 games and averaged 17.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.5 BPG, and 0.5 SPG. Pau Gasol had a PER of 19.74 last season.
While not the splashy move Chicago Bulls fans had been hoping for in a superstar addition, Gasol has been to and won two NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
It was a shrewd move by the Chicago Bulls front office as Phil Jackson was hoping to add Gasol to the Knicks roster at a reduced price in order to streamline implementation of the triangle offense under first year Knicks head coach Derek Fisher.
Gasol tweeted that he was "looking forward to this new chapter of my career".
Are you excited about the Chicago Bulls acquiring 2-time NBA Champion and 4-time NBA All-Star Pau Gasol? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
