Snell feels redeeemed after second try vs. Heat
Bulls rookie Tony Snell had no reason to expect he’d play on opening night at Miami. But after both Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler got into foul trouble, he found himself not only on the floor, but guarding LeBron James.
Snell admitted Thursday that experience felt a little surreal.
“It was definitely crazy,” Snell said. “I’m like dreaming, ‘I’m standing next to LeBron James.’ It was pretty tough. It was my first go. I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little nervous out there.”
Snell played about seven minutes on opening night, missed all 3 of his shot attempts and added 2 fouls. Now Snell is in the starting lineup and given a second chance against Miami, he seemed comfortable on the floor. He had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the Bulls’ 107-87 victory on Thursday.
“I got my nerves out that day and helped me get prepared to day,” he said. “I felt a little more comfortable and more relaxed than before. Yeah, I redeemed myself definitely. We won, so that’s all that matters.”
One of the brightest signs for Snell is that he seems to be versatile. His outside shot is probably his strength, but his long arms make him an effective defender and he’s also set up teammates with nice passes off the drive.
“He’s shown that he’s ready for this opportunity,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. “He’s unselfish, he plays for the team. If he makes a mistake, he tries to correct it, and winning’s important to him.”
Noah’s emotional rescue:Coach Tom Thibodeau tried to downplay suggestions that Joakim Noah#146;s heightened emotional state helped produce 17 points and 15 rebounds Thursday. Noah has said many times that he always gets fired up to play the Heat.#147;You can#146;t rely on emotion to get things done,#148; Thibodeau said. #147;To try to put it all on his emotions, I don#146;t buy into that.#147;I think the big thing with Jo is he missed all of training camp (with a groin strain). You can#146;t miss all of training camp and expect to come out and play well in the NBA. The big part is he#146;s starting to get his timing back. The last few games, I think his rhythm has been very good offensively. Defensively, he#146;s been solid from the start of the season.#148;Bull horns:Jimmy Butler might return from a turf toe injury within a week, according to coach Tom Thibodeau. But Butler has still not done a full practice, so don#146;t expect to see him Saturday against Detroit. #133; LeBron James on Miami#146;s 49-27 rebounding deficit in Thursday#146;s loss to the Bulls: #147;We have never been a great rebounding team. It is a group thing for our team. We don#146;t have a (Kevin) Love, (Joakim) Noah or (Dwight) Howard who is going to go out and get 15 for you.#148;