Carmelo Anthony Available Once Again for the Bulls, but Is He Still Worth It?

They say history repeats itself, well then here we go again. 

When the Denver Nuggets first began shopping Carmelo Anthony, The Chicago Bulls were a hot destination for the disgruntled star. However, the Nuggets wanted the Bulls starting center Joakim Noah as the centerpiece for any deal. The Bulls were not letting go of Noah, they made this clear by offering him an extension of up to five year and 60+ million, which Noah quickly accepted. 

Just like that, the Bulls were out of the running for Melo. 

The Nuggets pursued other suitors following the rejection, and went directly to the New Jersey Nets. From that time onwards, the Nets and the Nuggets have engaged in several discussion and were hammering out a multi-player blockbuster deal rumored to involve more than 15 players. The big name players rumored were the likes of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and of course Carmelo Anthony.

The deal came severely close to completion and agreement two times, but both times the Nuggets got cold feet, and were hesitant to give up their star. As a result, New Jersey became fed up and Nets billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov finally had enough and ordered the Nets to be pulled out of the deal, claiming "it had taken up too much time, and became too expensive." 

He was right. The Nets were offering the Nuggets about six players, including Harris and Favors, along with multiple first round draft picks. This was just the deal the Nuggets were looking for, but became too greedy along the end and wanted the Nets to take on Al Harrington and his five year contract. New Jersey immediately disagree, and the rest is history. 

Now, with the Nets seemingly out of the picture, the Nuggets will look to strike a deal with either Anthony's rumored dream team in the New York Knicks or negotiate once again with the Chicago Bulls. 

The man behind the negotiations for the Nuggets and Bulls is Carmelo Anthony's agent representation, William Wesley. He's also represents Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau for CAA. 

Previously the Bulls wanted the Nuggets to take on Luol Deng as the centerpiece for the deal, but the Nuggets had no interest in Deng's three year and $40 million contract. Taj Gibson would have likely been involved as the "young piece" to the deal, along with James Johnson and the Bulls first round draft pick that they acquired from Charlotte, from the Tyrus Thomas deal. 

Who knows what negotiations will look this time around, but Denver may be a bit more desperate than they were before and the Bulls could take advantage of the situation. The deal mentioned above might not sound so bad to the Nuggets now. 

However, several pros and cons arrive out of this potential deal. 

Pro: Melo is a superstar

Carmelo Anthony is a superstar, no matter how you put it. These trade talks and rumors may have affected his reputation but not his talent. He's about as good of a scorer as you can find in the league, and he's dangerous from about anywhere on the floor. He's obviously a huge upgrade over Luol Deng, and would give the Bulls a bonafide perimeter scoring option alongside Derrick Rose, something the Bulls desperately need. 

Con: Melo has an ego

If Carmelo Anthony is brought into Chicago, he may view himself as the team's best player. However, that obviously isn't the case, as the Bulls now and for the next six to eight years belong to Derrick Rose. He is the superstar of the team and everything revolves around him. Carmelo Anthony would be brought in as a second option, and who knows how he'll handle that role. For all we know, he may cause some unnecessary drama in the Bulls locker room and organization. So why take that risk.

Pro: Melo makes the Bulls instant title contenders

This one would be a sure-fire guess. Put Carmelo Anthony alongside Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer and the Bulls may have the best "big" three in the NBA. It would certainly rival that of Miami's, and would put the list right at the near the top of the list for contenders. 

Con: Bulls are already close to being contenders

Like the old saying goes; "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." So why should the Bulls ruin their depth and team chemistry by acquiring an egotistical superstar. It's a big risk and the Bulls are already fringe title contenders, who just need a legit shooting guard alongside their superstar Derrick Rose, rather than a player who may think he's the teams actual superstar. 

Pro: Best starting five in the NBA

Picture this lineup, PG - Derrick Rose, SG - Ronnie Brewer, SF - Carmelo Anthony, PF - Carlos Boozer, C - Joakim Noah. Scary, ain't it? Folks that's three legit All-Star, and a fourth one that's pretty close. No other team can rival to have more than three all-stars, and the Bulls would have four. That speaks for itself. 

Con: Bulls give up bench and their depth

So if you want to acquire a star like Carmelo Anthony, your going to have to give up quite a lot. I predict Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and James Johnson. That's a starter, a solid bench player and a young prospect all gone from your team. Meaning the backups for the Bulls would consist of CJ Watson, Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans, Omer Asik and Kurt Thomas. Oh my, that's a big drop off from your bench. Everyone knows that a bench is essential in winning a title and the Bulls would be giving it up. 

So I want to know from Bulls fans, as well as NBA fans in general, is Carmelo Anthony worth it for the Bulls? I've listed the pros and cons, what do you think?

My opinion: The Bulls are fine as currently constructed. They simply need a legit shooting guard, someone like a Kevin Martin, who can give you 20+ points on a nightly basis but won't cause drama for your team. Talent is vital but team chemistry is essential. The Bulls have the former and the latter. No need to risk it.