Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah debunks reports of him being "ok" being relegated to the bench.
Last week, head coach Fred Hoiberg spoke with Grant Land Zach Lowe and he said that the big man was the one who suggested the idea of him starting off the bench as he sees the combination of Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic is better.
"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," Hoiberg said. "It was actually Jo that started the whole conversation. He came to me. That says a lot about him."
"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."
However, Joakim Noah was asked by ESPN's Nick Friedell if he indeed say those words, the Bulls center said no. In fact, he said, "the truth is, I think I'm more effective playing the 5 over the 4" but that doesn't mean he wants to be starting off the bench.
With that said, head coach Fred Hoiberg clarified his statement but nevertheless, things between him and Noah are totally fine.
"Did he specifically say I want to come off the bench? No. Nobody wants to come off the bench, but it's the decision that we came up with," Hoiberg said via Yahoo Sports. "He's been great. He's been as enthusiastic as anybody over there on the bench when he's not in the game, and he's always going to bring it when he's on the floor, so no, things are fine."
