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Gasol brings plenty to Bulls' party

Two weeks into training camp, we've learned a couple of things about the Bulls' new addition Pau Gasol.

He's one of the league's most intelligent players, who had medical-school aspirations before he grew to 7 feet. Growing up in Barcelona, his mother was a doctor and his father a nurse.

Gasol might also be a better shot-blocker than he's given credit for. He officially was given 3 blocks in Saturday's 91-85 win at Milwaukee, but the stat crew seemed to miss at least 2 more.

"I'll let it slide because it's preseason," Gasol said with a smile. "I think with my length and my positioning, I can really be a factor defensively."

This was preseason and the Bucks are not widely billed as playoff contenders, but Saturday's game did provide an example of what the Bulls have in mind defensively.

While Gasol focused on protecting the basket, Joakim Noah was able to slide out and guard the smaller, quicker Ersan Ilyasova, who hit just 4 of 20 shots.

"I think with our length - Jo's, mine, Taj (Gibson's) athleticism, also Niko (Mirotic) is deceptive. I think we can cover a lot of ground and protect the paint," Gasol said.

"Now we have to do a better job not giving up second shots. Defensively, I think we can be one of the better shot-blocking teams in the league."

After the game, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau shared his hopes and dreams for Gasol's defense.

"He's done well, but I think he can be great," Thibodeau said. "That's what I want him to be. He's got great length; he's got great timing. He's smart. He can anticipate. He's still not communicating as well as he's capable of, but he's done well thus far."

One flaw at Milwaukee was the Bulls gave up 20 offensive rebounds. But overall they were outrebounded by a small margin, 49-48.

With an early focus on defense, Gasol figures to be getting along well with Thibodeau. On Saturday, the 14-year veteran talked about how the relationship is shaping up.

"We're all getting to know each other, I guess, and every individual is a little different," he said. "Obviously, our coach is also a different type of guy, but I think we understand each other well. We have respect for the game.

"Everyone here wants to win. As long as we're on the same page, we should be fine."

Gasol is not planning to use his medical background as leverage to request a day off during camp. The Bulls took Sunday off after having a practice or game for eight straight days.

"The philosophy now is we don't have time to rest," Gasol said. "We have to get into it. If we want to be one of the top teams in this league, we have to be ready from the beginning.

"Every coach is a little different, but (the workload) is not that different, I don't think. Obviously, with the new additions on the team and myself, we've got to put a little more time into things.

"It hasn't been extremely or outrageously hard or anything like that."

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