Nikola Mirotic started at power forward and hit 6-of-11 shots and three 3-pointers on his way to 19 points, nine rebounds and a steal in just 25 minutes in Tuesday’s opener. Mirotic is not strong enough to guard the Zach Randolphs in the league, and Gasol is slower than molasses defending the pick and roll/pop. The alternative is to go back to Tom Thibodeau’s pairing of Gasol and Joakim Noah, but the lane was too often clogged and court spacing was too constricted last season because neither can stretch the defense. “I want to win”.
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But what pairings do make the team better is the question that still needs an answer. Sacrifices need to be made sometimes. There’s a better chance that games could be shootouts rather than the defensive stalemates Chicago fans are used to. Noah, the ultimate team player, has publicly stated his willingness to come off the bench if it meant more wins. The most recent 12 times – 10 in 2009-10 and two in 2012-13 – were byproducts of the Bulls big man returning from injury.
While speaking about his new role with the team, Noah appears to be operating with a team-first mentality.
Noah dealt with a few injuries last season and he played in 67 games, averaging 7.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
And he did that in exhibition play, especially off the bench his last two games, grabbing 15 combined rebounds in two Bulls (4-4) wins.
Though there is no official word from Chicago Bulls Head Coach Fred Hoiberg, espn.go.com reported that former Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah was resigned to the idea of losing his starting role this season. “It’s not about me right now, it’s about this team”.
It’s a situation not dissimilar from one Gibson, Noah’s now-frontcourt partner, has dealt with much of his career. Johnson wrote on Twitter that Noah has started 463 of his 543 regular season games in his career, while Pau Gasol has started 970 of 983 games. Hoiberg should give Hinrich spot minutes, similarly to Dunleavy, but if Rose suffers another injury during the season, which is likely, Hinrich or E’Twaun Moore should start in his place. That could make for an easy transition for Noah as he looks to move from being the leader of the Bulls’ starting unit to the leader of their second unit. Now it’s on Noah to work together with Gibson and the rest of the reserves to gain chemistry as the season progresses.
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Hoiberg said that if the lineup plays well, he might go with it come opening night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. “And [Noah] was the one that talked to me about that, about how well he feels he and Taj play together out there on the floor”, said Hoiberg.
