Joakim Noah returning to facilitator role with Derrick Rose sidelined

The Chicago Bulls may be eschewing adding another point guard in the wake of Derrick Rose's injury because they have a point center they can dust off.

While he's been having somewhat of a down season offensively, Joakim Noah is capable of taking on a larger playmaking role in the Bulls offense, something he's looking forward to doing. Noah dished eight assists in the Bulls' victory on Friday, the fourth time in February he's done so and the third time in the last four games.

"That's what Jo wants to do - handle the ball," teammate Jimmy Butler said Friday. "He makes great decisions when he's passing it, and he's aggressive when he gets it."

One of the league's best passing bigs, Noah averaged 5.4 assists last season, a number that edged higher to 5.7 after Rose was lost for the season following the team's 11th game.

This season, Noah's averaged four assists, owing to his minutes declining and his usage rate taking a massive hit. Noah averaged 45.1 frontcourt touches per game a year ago, down to 36.4 this year, and he's used just 14.1 percent of Chicago's possessions, a criminally low rate give his playmaking abilities.

The Bulls have plenty of mouths to feed, so it's understandable Noah, struggling to finish at the rim this year, has been the odd man out at times. Still, funneling the offense through him at the elbows could stand to make up for some of the lost offensive punch with Rose out.

"He's got a very unorthodox game in many ways," head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "But he's got great vision, and if a guy's open just a little bit on a cut, he can get it there. So it's a big plus when you have a big guy that can pass like that."

For his part, Noah doesn't seem to care what the means are, so long as the result is right.

"I enjoy winning," Noah said.

That's something the Bulls remain well-equipped to do without Rose, but his absence certainly limits their ultimate upside.