Joakim Noah Says He Didn’t Ask Fred Hoiberg To Come Off The Bench After All

Fred Hoiberg sent miniature shockwaves throughout the NBA when he said the Chicago Bulls were going to bring Joakim Noah off the bench and start Nikola Mirotic in his stead.

For a first-time NBA head coach, this seemed like a risky maneuver that might upset an incredibly proud player, one who was named Defensive Player of the Year barely more than a season ago. As it turned out, Hoiberg was in absolutely no danger of rocking the boat. Why? As the rookie coach told Zach Lowe of Grantland, it was Noah’s idea to come off the bench.

How was the conversation when you told Joakim he officially wasn’t going to start?

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, so let’s go that route. It was actually Jo that started the whole conversation. He came to me. That says a lot about him.

Were you already leaning that way anyway — like as early as August or September?

I had thought a lot about a lot of different lineups. I hadn’t come to any type of conclusion. But it was great of Jo to just come and have that conversation.


Noah, however, remembers his conversation with Hoiberg about the Bulls’ crowded frontcourt just a bit differently than his coach. After the 29-year-old caught wind of his supposed to suggestion to come off the bench, he set the record straight – yet made it clear he supported the move in full, nonetheless.

Lowe, meanwhile, stood by his transcription of the interview, and Hoiberg clearly seemed ready to move on from this story entirely.

What’s the biggest takeaway from this minor hubbub? The same one when it appeared as if Noah had broached the idea of coming off the bench: Winning is what he cares about most.

Maybe Hoiberg would have decided on his own to start Mirotic over Noah, but to have the latter’s backing at the very least was surely huge for the former Iowa State coach. Noah, remember, finished fourth in the voting for 2014 MVP; he’s barely removed from being considered Chicago’s franchise cornerstone.

Professional athletes are a prideful bunch, and coming off the bench – even if it helps the team win, even if it helps their own numbers – is not something that usually goes over easily for them. That a player like Noah was even willing to do so shows just how much he cares about the success of his team.

Whether or not he actually suggested the switch to Hoiberg is really just semantics.

(Grantland)

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