Noah Guarding Dwight Howard (Photo : REUTERS/JEFF HAYNES)
After Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg publicly stated that the Chicago Bulls Center had no qualms with coming off the bench for the team, Noah clarified his position.
"I never said I want to come off the bench, I said I'll do what's best for the team."
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This is in sharp contrast to what Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg and the Bulls organization implied awhile back when they implied that moving Noah to the bench was Noah's idea. Hoiberg stated that:
"Jo actually came to me and talked to me about that. He said, basically, "I've always played well with Taj." He said he thought Niko and Pau played very well together,"
As a professional, Joakim Noah will obviously accept the bench role and do the best he can for the Bulls to succeed, but the fact of that matter is, as a competitor and a contract year player, Noah will prefer to start.
Both sides are ultimately right in their assessment that Noah plays better with Taj than he does with Gasol or Mirotic. But implying that he wanted to move to the bench when he clearly wants to start spells some concern for both sides.
Noah will obviously let this go but as a rookie coach Hoiberg will need to work on his communication skills with his team, as this could easily cause trouble in the future.
Chicago Bulls PG Derrick Rose stated that it was "a little weird" seeing Noah come off the bench but lauded Noah for his professionalism.
Only time will tell if this move is the right decision for the Bulls, a team that is hoping for a deep playoff run.
