Bulls' Noah big on his fellow rookie Yi
Joakim Noah took no joy in outplaying Milwaukee's Yi Jianlian in Tuesday's preseason debut for both NBA rookies.
The Bulls' 6-foot-11 center had a respectable showing in LaCrosse, Wis., producing 6 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 22 minutes. Yi had a rough night with 3 points, 0 rebounds and 6 fouls in 15 minutes.
Noah takes no motivation from the fact that he was the ninth pick in last June's draft, while Yi went at No. 6. That was the best-case scenario in Noah's mind.
"I'm not going to lie; I'm really happy with the way the draft turned out because this is where I wanted to be," Noah said following Wednesday's practice at the Berto Center. "I'd rather be here than Milwaukee any day. Yi's a good guy. I just wanted to win the basketball game."
Noah might actually know Yi as well as anyone in America. For about a month last spring, Yi, Noah and Florida swingman Corey Brewer were workout partners under the tutelage of personal trainer Joe Abunassar in Carson, Calif.
Of course, Yi had just arrived from his native China and is still working on his English. So it's not like he and Noah text each other daily or anything. Noah never spent any time with Yi away from the gym.
"There were a lot of people around him all the time," Noah said. "I think it was tough for him because he was getting so much media attention. It was really crazy for him.
"You could tell he's a quiet guy. Really cool, funny, always joking around and stuff. Very quiet, but humble. I liked his vibe."
During Tuesday's game, Noah blocked one of Yi's shots and the Bucks rookie fired an airball from about 18 feet with Noah's hand in his face.
Yi's representatives initially said he would not play in Milwaukee. But a deal finally was struck, and the 7-foot forward arrived in Wisconsin with plenty of fanfare. The Bucks even introduced Yi to the local Chinese community during a gathering at the Bradley Center earlier this week.
"People are all, 'He didn't play that well yesterday and he was the sixth pick and he has such high expectations,'" Noah said. "I think he has to look at it as a learning experience and enjoy it and not let people's expectations affect him negatively."
A day after the preseason opener, which the Bulls lost 93-88, coach Scott Skiles raved about Noah's versatility and ability to handle the ball like a small forward.
Skiles also downplayed the notion that Noah is in a battle with Tyrus Thomas to start at power forward. The two players basically represent the Bulls' front court of the future and may play together, or Skiles could opt to use veteran Joe Smith at the position.
"I wouldn't read a lot into who starts on opening night anyway at that spot," Skiles said. "I don't think it makes that much difference.
"Each guy does a little something different, so we've got to be a little more concerned about which guy or guys can come off the bench and maybe fit better with (Andres) Nocioni and (Chris) Duhon and Thabo (Sefolosha). So we're trying to balance both lineups out there."