Gasol weighs in on Bulls' leadership battles

Pau Gasol generally doesn't raise his voice unless he's demanding a foul call or applauding a particularly fine opera performance.

But he does have a wide variety of experience through 15 seasons in the NBA. He won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and lost 60 games with the Memphis Grizzlies.

So how does Gasol assess the perplexing problems facing the Chicago Bulls when it comes to chemistry and leadership?

"Definitely the clicking hasn't happened consistently," he said Wednesday at the Advocate Center. "We just need to do a better job of understanding what it takes to win.

"You don't have to be tight friendship with everybody on the team, but you do have to understand what needs to be done on the floor, and togetherness and unity needs to exist on the floor in order to win ballgames."

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg admitted the team has done a lot of talking in the film room the last few days. The Bulls lost their third straight game Monday against Brooklyn and now have three days off to try to correct some issues before playing at Oklahoma City on Friday.

"Communication always helps," Gasol said. "I think that should happen more often. Not just talks or monologues, it's interaction. I think that's something we need to do more of so we can help each other out."

Leadership has been a particular tricky subject for the Bulls this season.

Among the best players, Jimmy Butler announced plans early in the season to become a vocal leader but admits he doesn't have much experience at it. Joakim Noah has been the team's most effective leader for several years.

Gasol is more likely to give fatherly advice than a fiery speech. Derrick Rose, quiet by nature, isn't considered to be in the leadership mix.

"It's a challenge because there are so many strong personalities and very talented players," Gasol said. "So if everybody claims a little bit of leadership, it's fine as long as there's a balance and mutual respect among individuals. If you do that and you find that, then you're fine.

"But if you try to see who's the leader, who carries the most weight, who gets the most recognition, then you're in a bad position. But we understand that if we work together at the end of the day, we get more recognition and more credit if we win."

There might be a little bit of leadership battling going on with the Bulls. The team was concerned during the summer about whether Butler and Noah would mesh as team leaders.

Butler spoke out Saturday after a loss to the New York Knicks, suggesting Hoiberg needs to coach the team harder at times. Those comments were likely not a knock on Hoiberg as much as teammates who may not be matching Butler's level of effort.

"There was some positives and some negatives to that situation," Gasol said. "Obviously he expressed and voiced his frustration. It's a good thing to say, at some point, enough is enough, something's got to happen, something's got to change, and you've got to say something and stir the pot a little bit.

"But some things also need to stay directed indoors and not be exposed outside. So, again, positives and negatives."

Noah, who is out 2-4 weeks after suffering a left-shoulder sprain against the Nets, also chimed in Wednesday about Butler's postgame comments.

"I just wish it would've been kept in-house, maybe. That probably would've been better," he said. "Everybody, including myself, we talk about some of our issues. We all have issues, every family has issues. We're growing together through the good and the bad. Time will tell."

Noah also thinks the increased team meetings could have a positive benefit.

"Just so everybody's on the same page," he said. "That's part of growing. There's been a lot of role changes around here. It's important to learn from each other, learn from our experiences. There's a lot of basketball left.

"We have the best job in the world. We play for the Chicago Bulls, play basketball for a living. Let's not forget that either. Just go out there and compete to the best of our ability and the rest take care of itself."

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