Noah fired up about new Bulls teammate
There were plenty of topics worth discussing at Bulls media day, but the most interesting might be the start of a beautiful big man relationship featuring Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol.
Both are thoughtful, eloquent speakers who grew up in amazing places - Gasol in Barcelona, while Noah split time between Paris and Manhattan as a kid.
Noah is the colorful free spirit, as Bulls fans are well aware. Gasol is more of a calm tactician, the guy who would have gone to medical school had he not grown to be 7 feet tall.
On Monday at the Advocate Center, the Bulls' new West Side training facility, Noah and Gasol took turns sitting before reporters to discuss a new teammate for one and a new opportunity for the other. Gasol, 34, signed with the Bulls as a free agent after they were spurned by New York's Carmelo Anthony.
"I thought we had no shot (at signing Gasol) with all the teams that were looking at him," Noah said. "The fact that he picked Chicago says a lot. He could've easily been in that warm weather. But he picked the cold."
Gasol spent the past six years with the Los Angeles Lakers after starting his NBA career with Memphis. It gets a little cold in Memphis, doesn't it?
"We can laugh about it, but it's true. It says a lot about his character," Noah continued. "A lot of people talk about that winning and wanting to win. But at the end of the day, he made a decision based on winning. And I respect that."
In July, Noah made the trip to Los Angeles to help lure Gasol to the Bulls. He joined Gar Forman, John Paxson and coach Tom Thibodeau in a conference room at the offices of agent Arn Tellem.
"He's a very outgoing guy. Very forward. He doesn't sugarcoat much, which I appreciate," Gasol said of Noah. "I think he was very humble for a guy that was named all-NBA first team. He showed and shared his excitement about the possibility of playing together.
"What he also told me is that he was, as the rest of the team, very hungry - which I wanted to hear. So that's what I want to be a part of."
And so, hopes for an eventful winter are bubbling among the Bulls. Plenty of factors will help determine success this season: Derrick Rose's health, Rose's shooting, Rose's confidence, the development of regarded rookies Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic.
But that strong inside group of Noah, Gasol and Taj Gibson will be at the center of whatever happens.
"I think we're going to complement each other very well," Gasol said. "We're just going to do what we're supposed to do and hopefully dominate all the other front courts in the league."
Noah added his own twist on the addition of Gasol.
"He's somebody who has won championships and is very, very hard to guard. That's the truth," Noah said. "And, I'll tell you what, he's pretty hard to score over."
Most of the other hot topics with the Bulls are stuck in the waiting room. In fact, Thibodeau made a running joke of answering most every question Monday with, "We'll see."
Only time will tell if Rose can stay healthy. He feels good about his chances of improving on the 5.3 percent he shot from 3-point land during the recent FIBA World Cup.
"To me, it was probably a good reason why I couldn't catch a rhythm with that ball," Rose said. "I get to come here, stay with a solid team, and I'll be able to shoot 20-25 shots a night, if I choose to. So within those 20 shots I think I should be able to find a little rhythm."
Rose wasn't necessarily blaming the international ball - maybe he was. But he usually played in short bursts with the loaded national team. Being an efficient shooter after spending the past two years recovering from a pair of knee injuries, it will take some time.
Rose suggested this year's Bulls team is better than the squad he watched from the bench last season. He even predicted the second unit could be more dangerous than the starters.
In other words, he thinks the future is bright.
"We know we have an opportunity ahead of us," Rose concluded. "It may not be this year, it may not be next year, or whatever, but I know that we have one. I know that I'm going to win a championship soon, so I'm not worried about that."
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