"I would definitely think about it very hard," Pippen said Tuesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "But I don't know ... if I'm a GM, I don't know that I could pull the trigger based on Carmelo's ... sort of what he's doing now. Based on his reputation, I'd probably have to stay with Joakim because you know that this kid is going to come out and play night in and night out. There's no excuses. He's a great teammate. That's what you want."
Pippen said Anthony's reported handling of his situation should give the Bulls reason to pause.
"I think there's been some problems there with him and the coaching and the organization," Pippen said. "I think that could be a problem when you come to a team like the Bulls, an organization that is still trying to get off the ground and get themselves in a position that they are an established playoff team. You don't want to lose a guy like Joakim and have a guy like Carmelo come here. Hey, he might not like it here. Next year he may be wanting to get out of here and go play somewhere else.
"I think it would be a huge gamble for the Bulls. It could set them back or it could push them up. I like Joakim, so for personal reasons I would probably keep him."
I think that's a good point but if nothing else, the Bulls need Noah and his defense/presence in the middle more than they need Melo and his scoring. Seems like those rumours are dead anyway, with Noah definitely off the table.