The Carmelo Anthony trade race is heating up and the Bulls just upped their stakes by offering everyone on their active roster except Derrick Rose for the displeased Nuggets star.

“Carmelo and Derrick are two of the game’s premier stars,” said Bulls GM Gar Forman. “Any time you can get a duo like that on your team, you go for it, even if it means they will be the only members of your team.”

Forman said he hadn’t decided yet how he would fill out the Bulls roster if Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, and recently signed free agents Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer were among those dealt to Denver in exchange for Anthony.

“We’d probably have to sign a few guys to make sure we could play at least five guys every night,” said Forman. “Plus I guess we’d need a couple subs. Once Mr. Paxson’s back from summer vacation I’ll have to see what he wants to do since he’s the one calling all the shots anyway.”

Noah has been in the center of the Anthony trade rumors for the last week and said he wasn’t paying too much attention to the chatter.

“Basketball’s a bidness and this stuff happens in a bidness,” said Noah, sunning himself on a beach in the south of France surrounded by topless models. “But I love Chicago. Going to Denver would be whack.”

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