Up Close with Joakim Noah
Bulls rookie Joakim Noah has been widely considered a draft steal at #9, but received spotty playing time under Chicago's ex-coach, Scott Skiles. Still, in time many believe that he will exactly the energetic, defensive force most critics expected him to be.
He talked about this playing time, his new home town, and much more in a recent interview with HOOPSWORLD.
For a while, you were getting a significant amount of playing time, but lately Tyrus Thomas and Aaron Gray have been getting the call. How are you coping with your role on the team lately?
(Grinning slyly) "I'm… I'm disgusted…" (Laughing) "Nah, I'm just kidding. What do you want me to say? Am I happy about it? That's what you want to know, right?"
I'll re-phrase—what do you feel like you need to do to see more floor time?
"I have no idea. Just keeping working hard, I guess."
It's hard enough for a rookie to come in and learn schemes, but did that shoulder injury that kept you out of summer league make it even harder for you?
"Yeah, definitely. It's always going to be an adjustment. You've never been in that situation before, so it's definitely different."
What has a guy like Ben Wallace taught you so far this season being a guy who plays a similar defensive game to yourself?
"Actually I feel like Ben and I are very different. He's got a lot of experience under his belt, somebody's who won at this level and who understands what it takes to win. He's one of the best defenders in the league. You can definitely learn from a guy like that just by watching him every day in practice and in games. He can also tell me what to do and what not to do, and that's definitely made be better."
What do you think of your other Florida guys in the league so far this year? How do you feel like they're doing?
"I think everybody's doing very well. I just spoke with Chris Richard, and he's getting a start tonight. Al Horford's doing very well, Corey Brewer's getting a lot of minutes, so everybody's doing well. I mean, Taurean's pretty up and down making the transition back and forth to the D-League, but I stay in touch with most of them."
What's your favorite thing about being in Chicago so far?
"My favorite thing? The city's great. I'm happy to be in a situation where it's a big city. There's great food, great restaurants, great spots to do things. It's just a great city, and I'm happy to be here."
While his playing time is certainly frustrating for now, he'll get his chance to shine in due time. A kid that talented and that motivated can't stay parked at the end of the bench forever.
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