Bulls' Noah not sweating bench role: 'At the end of the day, it's still basketball'
Heading into the 2014-15 season, Joakim Noah was the toast of Chicago.
He was the NBA's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, an All-NBA first teamer, and the league's fourth-leading MVP vote-getter. He'd just posted career highs in points, rebounds, assists, PER, and win shares, while leading the Derrick Rose-less Bulls to 48 wins.
A lot can change in a year.
On the eve of the 2015-16 season, Noah's preparing to come off the bench. The 30-year-old center's star faded somewhat last year, when nagging injuries contributed to his least productive season since 2008-09, and new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg envisions a stretchier, more offensively dynamic starting rotation featuring Pau Gasol and sophomore Nikola Mirotic in the frontcourt.
Noah's trying to maintain a positive outlook, though.
"It's definitely an adjustment," he said of the reserve role he's begun playing in preseason, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "But at the end of the day, it's still basketball. I got to go out there, bring energy, and do what I do."
Hoiberg likes the idea of Noah and Taj Gibson - the team's two best defensive bigs by a considerable margin - playing in tandem, and giving the Bulls a different look off the bench.
"We've talked," Hoiberg said. "We talk about everything that he's done. He was great, he was excited about playing with Taj last game. I think those two have a very good chemistry out there together. And (Noah) was the one that talked to me about that, about how well he feels he and Taj play together out there on the floor."
The numbers didn't bear that out last season, when the pair ranked as Chicago's worst two-man unit, getting outscored by 7.4 points per 100 possessions in the 421 minutes they shared the floor (though in fairness, Gibson was as hobbled as Noah).
"I've played well with Taj in the past," Noah said. "We just got to keep building. This isn't about me, it's not about Taj, it's about what we can do to make this team better. It is what it is, and we got to go out there and find ways to make it work."
Hoiberg made sure to add that the lineup he draws up for opening night will not be binding by any means, and that Noah could well find himself back in the starting rotation sooner than later.
"Jo's a pro," Hoiberg said. "All our guys are at the end. Whatever we decide to do on the 27th, it's not necessarily what we'll do on Nov. 1. ... We'll continue to play different lineups out there, combinations, and see what we like best."
Noah, true to Hoiberg's description, is handling the situation like a professional.
"I'm down with whatever coach thinks is best for this team," he said. "I'm a worker. I'm never going to stop working. So I'm excited for this team, we have a lot of talent, and just got to keep grinding, keep getting better."