Noah questions Bulls' identity as team continues to falter
It started when Joakim Noah, the hand-clapping, mouth-blaring, all-out emotional leader of the Chicago Bulls was relegated to the bench.
Noah is a shell of the player that finished fourth in MVP voting two seasons ago, and is a liability on offense, but his rabid energy made him the poster boy of Tom Thibodeau's Bulls - a team characterized by their unrelenting intensity.
Under new head coach Fred Hoiberg, the Bulls look nothing like they did in the five seasons prior, and a three-game losing streak (including losses to the Knicks and Nets) and sobering point differential have trouble brewing in Chicago.
Noah, who has since been re-inserted into the starting unit, summed up the team's malaise for ESPN's Zach Lowe.
"I mean, what is the identity of this team?" Noah wondered. "It's hard to say. Our identity has always been: You come to Chicago, you're in for a war. It's not like that right now.
There are 25,000 people in the building, and it's dead quiet. It has never been like that. It's tough to see the building that way. And it's on us. You bring the fire, and they will love you here. But if you're coasting, playing this low-energy game - I'm not sure we can win like that."
Noah's far from the first Bull to grumble about the team's woes. Jimmy Butler, the heir apparent to Noah's role as team leader, slammed Hoiberg for failing to put pressure on the team. Pau Gasol, who serves as the wise elder statesman, publicly clamored for more post-ups.
The disconnect isn't hustle or talent. As always, the Bulls remain excellent on defense (third in defensive efficiency), and they're still fielding the same core that pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink in last season's playoffs.
It's their 27th-ranked offense that troubles the Bulls - a curious outcome given Hoiberg's reputation as an offensive-minded innovator. Noah says the roster isn't fit for his schemes.
"Fred put in a lot of ball movement, but we have a lot of guys who hold the ball a lot," Noah said.
According to Lowe, players have even pleaded for Hoiberg to reinstate some of Thibodeau's sets.
Of course, Chicago's troubles on offense can largely be tied to Derrick Rose. The injury-prone guard boasts the team's second-highest usage rate, but has the worst true shooting percentage on the team. And although he's showing new signs of life after ditching his mask, the former MVP remains a sinkhole for Chicago's offense - despite promising a return to the days of yore.
The corollary to the Bulls' struggles is a sense of permanency. Noah's an impending free agent, Gasol will likely decline his player option, and Rose is mercifully one year away from being an expiring deal. If they can't turn it around, this might be the end for Chicago's core.
The flip side might not be so dire. The Bulls remain four games above .500, and if the team could get acclimated to Hoiberg's scheme, or if Rose can shake off the rust, things could look much different.
But time is running out, and they need to find out who they are before it's too late.
"Could this be our last chance?" Noah asks. "Yeah, no question. We just have to play for each other, right now. That's the most important thing. Everything is fixable."