Chicago Bulls C Joakim Noah says he didn’t ask to come off bench
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah rejected Fred Hoiberg’s claim that he requested to come off the bench, reports ESPN’s Nick Freidell.
Hoiberg was quoted in a Grantlandarticle published Thursday saying Noah, 30, presented him with the idea of not starting.
“Jo actually came to me and talked to me about that,” Hoiberg said. “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.”
On Friday, Noah responded to the comments, saying that he didn't ask to come off the bench, but wants to do whatever is best for the team.
Over his nine-year NBA career, Noah has started 463 of 545 games, but did not start either of Chicago’s first two games of this season. In those games, Noah had 15 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, but hasn’t yet scored this season. He has averaged 17.5 minutes per game.
Hoiberg told Grantland that he has thought about various lineups, and isn’t “married to anything right now.”
The Bulls play on the road against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.
