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NBA Rumors: Chicago Bulls would re-sign Joakim Noah over Pau Gasol

By John Buhler

May 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) and Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
May 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) and Chicago Bulls forward Pau Gasol (16) in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Bulls will probably have a different front court next year, but would like to re-sign Joakim Noah over Pau Gasol if push came to shove.

The 2015-16 NBA season has been a disaster for the Chicago Bulls. Injuries are always a part of this basketball team, but a front court log jam, a disgruntled back court duo, and a rookie NBA head coach have all compounded in the Bulls probably missing the 2016 NBA Playoffs.

While the Bulls will have some serious decisions to make this offseason, it seems that if it came to keeping either Joakim Noah or Pau Gasol that the Bulls organization would prefer to keep the often-injured Noah and let the future Hall of Famer Gasol walk.

According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls will prioritize re-signing Noah to a team-friendly short-term deal, as he is a fan favorite and has a strong bond with Hall of Fame owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

With head coach Fred Hoiberg having five key big men to feature in his rotation in Noah, Gasol, Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic, and rookie Bobby Portis, there are simply not enough minutes to go around to keep all the bigs happy.

Noah did not appreciate Hoiberg making him come off the bench in favor of Mirotic, which was seen as a way to appease Gasol’s wishes in the front court. While Gasol is 36 years old, he is still playing at an All-Star level on his third NBA team (Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Bulls), and he could end up being the free agent that will leave Chicago this summer after arriving only two years ago.

Noah may have more of a defensive prowess than Gasol but has never had Gasol’s ability to stay healthy. While it would have been wonderful if both great big men could coexist in the same Chicago front court, it seems that Noah and Gasol are now mutually exclusive entities.

Since Noah feels like a career member of the Bulls, it isn’t surprising to hear that the Bulls front office will try to re-sign its most loyal member of the Chicago basketball team.

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