Bulls one big happy family
Only the Bulls could create the NBA's biggest story on a day they were blown out by the Atlanta Hawks.
Shouting matches between players and coaches, along with the resulting bench time, happen every day across the league.
But player-vs.-player punishment, which the Bulls exercised over the weekend, might be unprecedented.
Rookie Joakim Noah was given a second game off Sunday by a vote of his teammates, which raises all kind of questions about this team. So here are a few:
Q. Who is running the team, anyway, the players or interim coach Jim Boylan?
A. The players meant no disrespect to the coaching staff by adding their own punishment to Boylan's original one game off.
What's interesting is the coaches have been trying for years to get the players to take more ownership of the team, but it never really happened. Maybe that's because the Bulls' best players are not particularly vocal. It's also possible that Scott Skiles' coaching style didn't allow for much player ownership.
So when Adrian Griffin and Ben Wallace came to Boylan with a plan to take control of a major decision, what is Boylan supposed to say?
He agreed to it with the hope that the Bulls will be better off if players take on greater leadership roles. In the future, Boylan might consult with the veterans before levying such a punishment.
Q. Were Noah's actions at the shootaround in Philadelphia really so bad?
A. Eyewitnesses have been tight-lipped, but it's probably safe to say Noah delivered a screaming tirade at assistant coach Ron Adams after being corrected on how plays should be run.
Keep in mind that Noah has admitted having trouble learning and remembering plays with the Bulls and during his freshman year at Florida.
The Bulls have been working with him on ways to help the process, but there also is a frustration level on Noah's part that almost certainly played a role in Friday's incident.
Q. Are the rest of the Bulls fed up with Noah's behavior?
A. Not at all. In fact, everyone on the team likes the rookie center. Don't forget, Noah's teammates tabbed him to lead cheers from inside the pregame huddle.
The extended punishment was a case of team elders feeling that Noah needed to learn an important lesson about controlling his emotions and showing up on time. Only time will tell if it does any good.
The veterans will take great pains to make sure Noah doesn't feel alienated by this incident. It's probably no coincidence that Noah's locker in Atlanta was next to Griffin.
Q. Didn't Tyrus Thomas have trouble adjusting to NBA life last season as a rookie?
A. Well, no one should be shocked when a 21- or 22-year-old learns a tough lesson about the real world.
Noah's situation is similar to what Thomas went through last year with the bizarre "free money" controversy, when Thomas enraged the league with some flip comments about being chosen for the dunk contest.
In many ways, Noah and Thomas are similar. They work hard but struggle at times adapting to the NBA game. They both can act silly and often sing in the locker room after victories.
But there also are stark contrasts. Noah grew up in relative affluence, with his father one of France's most famous citizens. Noah also was the face of college basketball the past two years and claimed that no one in history had more fun in college than he did.
Thomas, on the other hand, has been hardened by poverty, tragedy and a single-parent household. Six months before Thomas became the No. 4 pick in the NBA draft, no one outside Baton Rouge, La., had heard of him.
So Thomas was uneasy around the media when he first arrived, though Noah might be gaining ground after this week.
Q. Aren't Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng supposed to be the Bulls' team captains?
A. People probably make too big a deal about being a captain, since it's largely a ceremonial position. It's only natural for older players to dispense advice and take charge.
Wallace did a nice job explaining the Noah decision publicly, but there's little doubt that Griffin was the driving force behind the move.
Griffin takes his role as a team leader seriously, and he's good at it. He's mature, has good people skills and doesn't have any agendas beyond helping the team function smoothly.
Q. Are the Bulls going to continue heading down the toilet this season?
A. These next two games in Orlando and Miami will help demonstrate whether the Bulls are serious about making the playoffs. As awful as they were against Atlanta, there still is plenty of time to climb the short ladder to playoff contention in the Eastern Conference.