On second thought, Bulls have to get Anthony

OK, OK, I give up.

Anyone who has ever listened to me on the radio or read my columns - no matter if you think I am right or wrong - knows I speak with conviction.

From Dave Wannstedt, to Mike Ditka, to Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan or any one of the thousands of athletes or topics discussed over the years - how many times have I been wrong?

Many, many times!

Have I been right? Absolutely - many, many times.

Back in the day if a radio show host or columnist changed his mind, he was called a flip-flopper, and especially if he took a strong stance and then changed his opinion without acknowledging it.

But I have no problem saying I'm wrong, and I was wrong about Carmelo Anthony because he should be a Bull.

Previously, I wrote he wouldn't be a good fit with the tenacious Bulls' style of play because of his disinterest, occasional slow style of play and lack of defensive effort.

Now I have to confess that I've taken his whole career into account, but this year he played harder - and played to win.

I understand that it is his free-agent year, and if he were in the second year of a four-year deal he might have shut it down because of the bad shoulder before the season ended. But that wouldn't have looked good.

The Bulls and many others, including myself, were delusional this season. I thought the Bulls were the second-best team in the Eastern Conference.

Was I a homer? No, I really thought so, but I was mistaken because once the real season started - namely the playoffs - the Bulls just couldn't score enough.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau deserves a better hand. Carmelo Anthony can help fill the offensive void, and if Derrick Rose ever is healthy enough to play in the NBA again, the Bulls' roster would look a lot better.

How about a lineup of Anthony, Rose, Joakim Noah (who campaigned for Anthony), Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler? Now there is a legitimate shot at the title.

Since Anthony said he would take less money because he wants to win, let's go get him. The Knicks are far away from contending - but the Bulls are just steps away.

The rest of the team will have to do its part, too, because this year's bench fell short. There is no doubt the Bulls missed guys like Nate Robinson, Kyle Korver and Marco Belinelli.

So I feel cleansed - I got the Melo stuff off my chest. Now let's hope Bulls fans are pounding their chests next year with a revitalized squad.

I'll say it again: Go get Melo.

Program notes:

Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio. Catch my show from 7-11 a.m. Sundays, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.

•Mike North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.