Hoiberg likes Gasol, Mirotic chemistry in Bulls lineup
Pau Gasol grew up in Barcelona and has spent many years anchoring the Spanish national team.
Bulls teammate Nikola Mirotic is actually from Montenegro. He became eligible to play for Spain after several years of playing professionally for Real Madrid.
Gasol and Mirotic helped lead Spain to the European championship last month, clinching a spot in the 2016 Olympics in the process. The journey was also a bonding experience for the two Bulls big men.
“It was, for sure,” Gasol said. “We spent a lot more time together, almost two months of intense contact with all the guys, because we pretty much eat breakfast, lunch, dinner together. We practice pretty much every day, most twice a day.
“We play a tournament that is extremely competitive. We went through ups and downs and we got it together and won a championship that was very difficult to win. So obviously that brings people together.”
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg went to Spain to check out both players this summer, then watched the European championships closely. He clearly came away with the belief Gasol and Mirotic belong on the court together.
With one game left in preseason, it appears the plan is to start Gasol and Mirotic, while bringing Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson off the bench. That could always change, but Hoiberg talked about the benefits after the Bulls beat Indiana 103-94 on Tuesday at the United Center.
“They do have good chemistry,” Hoiberg said. “Some of that, I think, was built this summer when both those guys were playing for Spain. Pau can tell him what to do in Spanish and Niko will do it. Those two do play well together, and I thought Taj and Jo played well together.”
One benefit of the Gasol-Mirotic lineup is it challenges opponents to defend inside and out. Gasol generally plays in the post and Mirotic on the perimeter, but they can also swap roles. Against the Pacers, Mirotic hit 4 of 6 shots from 3-point range, scored 15 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, second on the team after Gasol's 8.
“(Mirotic) is a player that spreads the floor,” Gasol said. “He's a threat from outside. It allows me to have room to operate from the post. We understand each other well and so we have good chemistry and we play well off each other.”
So far, there have been no complaints from Noah or Gibson about not starting. The two native New Yorkers appreciate playing together and it's too soon to tell which lineup Hoiberg will prefer to finish games in the regular season. Obviously, those spots are more coveted.
Since joining the Bulls as a free agent in 2014, Gasol has talked about how he wants to be on the floor at the end of games and continued that message on Tuesday.
“You want to have your best players on the floor when you finish a game off,” Gasol said. “That's when the game is on the line, so we have to have the weapons that will help the team the most to get a win. Whether that's one lineup or another, we'll see.
“The fortunate thing, we have a lot of great players and a lot of depth, so we'll see what happens. Obviously, we all would like to play, would all like to compete, would like to be there with the game on the line. So it will be interesting.”
The Bulls took Wednesday off and play their final preseason game on Friday against Dallas in Lincoln, Neb. The season opener is Tuesday against Cleveland at the United Center.
• Get the latest Bulls news via Twitter @McGrawDHBulls.