Ex-Florida teammates reunited on Bulls

Funny how the basketball world can spin sometimes.

And this is not another story about Joakim Noah's jump shot.

The Bulls made two trades on Feb. 19. One sent Noah's best friend on the team, Thabo Sefolosha, to Oklahoma City for a draft pick.

The other brought back a player from Noah's past. Former Knicks guard Anthony Roberson hosted Noah during his recruiting visit to the University of Florida, and the two spent one season as college teammates.

"Since he got here, we've been basically hanging out every day," Noah said. "I'm happy to have him on the team. He's a great guy, someone I consider almost a best friend."

This story began in 2003, when Roberson was in his second year as the Gators' starting point guard, while Noah ... well, he was the same colorful character he is now, just a few years younger.

"A big kid with a lot of hair that looked like he liked to have fun. That was my first impression," Roberson said. "You never saw Jo down too many days."

Noah and Roberson hit it off immediately during the recruiting visit. Both were from northern states, mesmerized by Gainesville, Fla., a college town with a friendly climate.

Roberson grew up under tough circumstances in Saginaw, Mich., and was ready to move far from home for college. Noah spent his early years living in the urban sprawl of Paris and New York (Manhattan).

"We had a great time on my visit, just doing what college students do," Noah said. "He's definitely a guy that gets along with everybody and has a great vibe to him. Florida was my first visit, and I knew that was the place I wanted to go."

Roberson admitted it took the upperclassmen some time to get comfortable with Noah's quirks. One example was his tendency to carry a boom box everywhere he went, creating a reggae soundtrack to his life.

"When we'd eat after practice, at study hall, he always had his boom box," Roberson recalled. "After awhile, you knew he wasn't going to put it away, so you had to get used to it."

Noah didn't play much during his freshman season but worked hard to earn his way into the rotation. Roberson said the rest of the Gators appreciated Noah's competitiveness in practice.

Roberson, meanwhile, left school a year early, and once he was gone, Florida won back-to-back national titles behind Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer.

Roberson wasn't drafted, but he managed to land a job with the Memphis Grizzlies, splitting his rookie season between the D-League and the Grizzlies' bench. He appeared in 20 games for Golden State in 2006-07 before returning to the NBA with the Knicks.

Since joining the Bulls, the 6-foot-2 Roberson has seen the court only during blowout games, and that probably won't change as long as Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich stay healthy.

"No regrets," Roberson said of leaving school early. "If I had it to do all over again, I'd do it the same way. It was a great experience, my three years at Florida. I think when I left, I was ready to leave, ready to play at this level."

The Bulls took Thursday off after finally snapping their seven-game road losing streak with a 103-96 win at Oklahoma City. They'll try to extend their seven-game home winning streak Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

As of Thursday morning, the Bulls (32-37) were alone in eighth place in the East - two games behind seventh-place Detroit and 11/2 games ahead of Milwaukee and Charlotte.

The stage is set for a strong finish to the regular season since the Bulls play nine of their final 13 games at home. After the Lakers leave town, the toughest opponent left on the schedule is Miami.