Despite his attempts at recruiting Carmelo Anthony to join the Bulls in free agency this summer falling short, Joakim Noah isn’t upset about the outcome, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. “I wasn’t disappointed at all,” Noah said. “I try to recruit everybody, not just Carmelo. Carmelo is a helluva player. If anybody is a free agent, usually I’m the one making the call. He made a decision that’s best for him and his family. I moved on right away. I love our team right now. If you look at all the talent we have, it’s going to be really interesting.”
Here’s what else is happening in the east:
- This might be the last season that the Pacers core remains intact, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes. With both David West and Roy Hibbert having player options at the end of this season, and what is shaping up to be a difficult year with the losses of Paul George and Lance Stephenson, it’s very likely that Indiana will look markedly different in 2015/16, opines Windhorst.
- David Blatt‘s versatility as a coach helped him win over GM David Griffin, and Blatt showed acumen in deal-making, too, as he and assistant coach Tyronn Lue played critical roles in convincing Kyrie Irving to sign his extension with the Cavs this summer, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com details.
- Former Knicks great Willis Reed believes that Phil Jackson is the right man to turn around the organization, and that New York will return to the playoffs this season under new coach Derek Fisher, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv writes. Reed also weighed in on Carmelo Anthony‘s free agency, saying, “I always thought that at the end of the day that Carmelo would come back to New York because of the years. I think he likes New York, I think the fans like him….I never thought he would actually leave. I really would have been upset, I really would have been surprised.”