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Derrick Rose Helps Chicago Bulls Recruit Carmelo Anthony

Point guard joins organization in pitch to Melo.

Derrick Rose came through after all.

After originally saying that “it’s not my job” to recruit Carmelo Anthony via free agency and that “if they want to come, they can come,” Rose reneged and helped the Chicago Bulls make their best pitch to Melo on Tuesday.

According to ESPN, Rose joined the Bulls in pulling out all the stops in recruiting the New York Knicks' superstar small forward on Tuesday, the opening day of the NBA’s free agency period. ESPN also reports that Rose was joined by teammates Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson in the Bulls’ pitch to Melo at the United Center. It was Noah who reportedly first pitched Anthony on joining the Bulls back during All-Star weekend in February, when the two were teammates on the Eastern Conference team.

However, Rose’s participation in the Bulls’ presentation to Anthony came as a surprise, considering that Chicago’s point guard didn’t seem too fond of the idea just earlier this week.

“It’s not my job,” Rose told Yahoo Sports on Sunday. "My thing is if they want to come, they can come. I love Melo's game. He's a great player. Takes the game serious. He's consistent. He shoots the ball great. I love his heart. I can play with anybody, no matter who it is. I believe I can play with anyone if they step on the court with me."

Rose has only played in a total of 10 games the past two seasons due to two major knee surgeries.

Meanwhile, Anthony continues his free agency tour Wednesday with planned meetings with the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, before visiting the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Mavs superstar Dirk Nowitzski and Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant are likely to be involved in their respective team's presentations to Melo.

Anthony averaged 27.4 points per game for the Knicks this past season. The Knicks can offer Melo $33 million more than any other team. 

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 (Photos from left: Lennart Preiss/Getty Images for adidas, Bill Kostroun/AP Photo)

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