Even those who have met with Carmelo Anthony recently have no idea where he wants to go.
Scottie Pippen met with the free-agent star last week as part of the Bulls’ recruiting contingent, and though the Hall of Famer believes his former team gives Anthony the best chance to win immediately, he isn’t sure it will be enough to sway him.
“I think we put our best foot forward and we pretty much wanted him to feel that we wanted him to be a part of our team and, you know, this is family here and we want him to be a part of it,” Pippen said on SiriusXM NBA Radio with Stacey King.
“So hopefully putting our best foot forward helps at least to some degree. You never know what players are going to do. It’s always up to the player to make the decision, not the agent, not the girlfriend, not the wife. So it’s gonna come down to Carmelo and what he wants to do going forward in his career. But I do think that we have a great position for him to step in and win and be an instant impact in the league.”
Pippen, who is currently an adviser with the Bulls, also commented on former coach Phil Jackson. Though he is a huge supporter of Jackson’s, Pippen admitted he isn’t quite sure how well Jackson’s skills will translate to the front office with the Knicks.
“It’s kind of hard to say how he’s going to be up in the front office but I think he’s picked a good mentor in Derek Fisher to follow his lead. I think Phil will have a huge impact on their practice sessions. I think he can help smooth the road a little bit for Derek in terms of getting the players ready to play,” said Pippen, who discussed a role in the Knicks organization after Jackson’s hiring.
“Phil just has some unique skills that are not seen in today’s game. I say all the time that, you know, Phil never let us practice hard or let us run and get it all out of us because he always tried to keep the horses in the stable for the big race. And I think that was a talent that he kept hidden, and still keeps within him, that is something that worked magically for him.
“His system works because of how he teaches it and his belief in how players should play the game and if those guys do that then I think success is waiting in the wings for them.”