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Joakim Noah won't address 'gossip' regarding recruitment of Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony (left) and Joakim Noah could be teammates next season. (Scott Strazzante/Getty Images)

Joakim Noah (right) Carmelo Anthony (Scott Strazzante/Getty Images)

Bulls center Joakim Noah recruited Knicks star Carmelo Anthony to Chicago during All-Star weekend last month, ESPN reported on Thursday.

When asked about the report during Friday's shootaround, Noah said he didn't want to address the "gossip."

"You want me to address that?" Noah said, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. "I don't feel like addressing it. I really have nothing to say about it."

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Noah reportedly told Anthony he could win a championship with the Bulls if he decides to sign with them this summer.

When asked if the report was true, Noah didn't deny it, saying it "doesn't matter. What does that have to do with our team right now?

"A lot of gossip right now." Noah added. "I feel it. A lot of gossip. I think we all know we're in a good place. Our team is in a good place. We got a healthy group, it's a healthy environment. We're not going to let gossip get in the way of what we're doing. We've gone through so much this year so it's not going to be a little gossip that's going to get in our way."

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau also downplayed the report.

"It's a bunch of nonsense," Thibodeau said. "People just start throwing stuff out there and then they wait for everyone to respond to it. If you waste your time on stuff like that then you're not thinking about Memphis. So that's all we're thinking about, think about Memphis."

Chicago (34-27), which has won 10 of its last 12, opens a tough six-game homestand on Friday against the Grizzlies. The Bulls will also play Miami, San Antonio, Houston and Oklahoma City during the stretch.

The Knicks are 22-40, 5.5 games behind the Hawks for the final playoff spot.

Noah has two triple-doubles in his last three games, while Anthony is second in the league with 28.1 points per game.

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