Joakim Noah: Real fans want wins

[Scoot26]

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Joakim Noah has a message for all the Chicago Bulls fans who believe his team should tank games this season to slide all the way into the NBA draft lottery.

"What do I say to those fans?" Noah told ESPNChicago.com after the Bulls' 128-125 triple overtime victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. "I don't say nothing to those fans. It's all good. You're allowed to have your opinion. It's just ... that's not a real fan to me. You know what I'm saying? You want your team to lose? What is that? But it's all good."

[+] Enlarge Kim Klement/USA TODAY SportsJoakim Noah had 26 points and 19 rebounds in 49 minutes against the Magic on Wednesday.


With Derrick Rose out for the season following another knee surgery, the Bulls are a team in transition. They traded All-Star forward Luol Deng to the Cleveland Cavaliers last week and there could be more moves before the Feb. 20 trade deadline. But the Bulls have won nine of their past 12, including four of five games since the Deng trade, and are just a game back of the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Noah, who had 26 points, 19 rebounds and six assists in 49 minutes against the Magic, said tanking is not on the players' minds.

"Do you really think we talk about it?" Noah said. "No way, man. No way. We don't talk about those things. It's like it's so far from our reality. You know what I mean? We play for a coach [Tom Thibodeau] that's ... it's difficult. It's difficult every day. We grind hard every day, and we give it our best effort every day. You know we're playing Orlando, they're down three guys -- we're fighting.

"It's different to have an opinion when you're like watching it from your couch compared to when you're out living it every day."

Bulls forward Taj Gibson wonders what fans would do if they were in the situation the players face.

"Those people, if they were in our shoes, they wouldn't just lose," Gibson said. "The majority of time people just have their opinions and that's fine and dandy, but they're not on the court and they're not giving their heart and soul into this game the way we do. I respect their opinion, but we're not going to do that."

Gibson said the team has begun to view their situation like that of the fictional version of the Cleveland Indians in the movie "Major League." In the movie, the team's owner decides to make the organization as bad as it can possibly be to relocate it. The Bulls' situation is not as dire, but Gibson sees parallels.

"We understand it's kind of like the movie 'Major League,'" Gibson said. "We've got that mentality where we believe in the locker room. We believe in what we think. And we're taking it one game at a time and we're trying to get those wins hopefully to see ... get a good nice poster at the end of the year."

“

You're allowed to have your opinion. It's just ... that's not a real fan to me. You know what I'm saying? You want your team to lose? What is that? But it's all good.
” -- Joakim Noah​

In the movie, the players put together a cutout of the owner's body with the caption: "You guys stink!" After each win they pealed off a section of the cutout.

So who will be on the cutout for the Bulls?

"We haven't figured that out yet," Gibson said with a smile. "But that's kind of the way we're going at it. That's what Joakim started, Joakim said it, and I've just been running with it. Every game is like a test and we're fighting."

Noah declined to talk about the motivational tactic, but Gibson said the already demanding Thibodeau has been motivating his players more than ever to get the most out of them.

"Thibs is, every day he's coming in he's kind of shocked and at the same time he's so proud," Gibson said. "Because he's like, 'I believe in what we have, and I'm so proud of you guys. You already keep shocking me every time you step on the court. And I think we got enough, it's going to be a special year and we've just got to keep digging.' "

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/stor...ah-says-real-fans-not-root-chicago-bulls-tank

 

[Axl Rose]

dont look at it as i want my team to lose....look at it as i want my team to have a better future

 

[houheffna]

dont look at it as i want my team to lose....look at it as i want my team to have a better future

I liked Noah better when he was saying nothing.

The fact is, Noah and others don't realize how the league works. In the NBA you, mediocrity is NBA hell. Ask Atlanta fans how they feel about the last 5, 6 years. They were never contenders...but they were not bad enough to go to the lottery. Believe it or not, Atlanta is further from a title than Utah or Orlando. I'd rather be really bad. That is the way the NBA is run...Noah will have to learn that.

 

[BIGGIEsmalls 23]

I love Noah (my favorite player along with Rose) & I realize he's a competitor, but he needs to put himself in the shoes of fans.

The two posts above mine explain my thoughts. We have a rare chance to land a stud lottery pick that will be a key to us winning championships in the near future. If we had a chance at the championship this season, I would go along with Noah. Considering that we don't have a chance in hell of winning a championship this season, I would prefer that we TANK this season & come back strong next season.

 

[JosMin]

Well, it's not generally in a player's mindset to care about personnel decisions. Their job is go out there and perform, regardless of who's coaching them or who's sharing the bench with them. So, of course Noah is going to expect fans to have the same perception on wanting to win because it's part of his competitive DNA. Of course fans want to win. Nobody inherently wants to lose. By the same token, a surprisingly large number of fans also understand being 42-40 every season and getting smashed in the first round by a title contender is just as gut wrenching as being a fan of the team that struggles to win 20 games.

It's a double-edged sword. I'm glad Noah doesn't want to "give up", but as a fan, I honestly hope he continues to have the same attitude if the Bulls decide to unload Boozer, Dunleavy, Hinrich, etc. It's best for everyone involved in the long run.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

How else is he supposed to answer that question?

 

[nwfisch]

:gary: Noah should get off the weed.

 

[JosMin]

:gary: Noah should get off the weed.

:slap:

 

[clonetrooper264]

I get where he's coming from. Like I've said before, telling players to tank to get some stud in the draft is like saying that the players currently on the team aren't good enough. This might be objectively true, but from the players' perspective they'll never see themselves that way, especially if they've been winning for years like the Bulls have been. Anyone with an ounce of competitive nature in them will never accept losing, even if they know they're not as good as the opponent. So it is what it is. Are the fans right about tanking? Yes, of course. But the players and Thibs will never buy into it. To truly tank, you'd have to blow up the core so that you fill the team with losers that don't care. But then that's a total rebuild.

 

[Crystallas]

Actually, Noah isn't all that wrong about fans wanting wins now. People buy tickets and expect to see their moneys worth. Good tickets aren't cheap.

 

[DCguy]

I agree with Noah, he is coming from a players standpoint, of course he is going to look at fans who want their team to lose as fake. Players purposely tanking for their team to get a lottery pick to potentially replace them and put their career at jeopardy is stupid. I for one have never been a fan of tanking. I'm glad he and the team don't have the same mindset as the average fan.

 

[Probie2429]

Does Noah want a legit chance of winning a NBA title or not? He won't get one with how the Bulls are currently constructed.

 

[Jerry Cortez211]

I can see where he's coming from and he does have a point. While I want the Bulls to do better and have a better pick and a shot at a ring in the near future, I just can't root against the Bulls or feel good after they lose (unless the game was really legit play). But of course no matter what the fans feel, he's going to play hard so they can face Miami in the second round so he can literally do to that heat fan what she was gesturing to him lol

 

[clonetrooper264]

Does Noah want a legit chance of winning a NBA title or not? He won't get one with how the Bulls are currently constructed.

As far as he's concerned they have a legit chance. Fans can call him stupid or whatever else they want, but he's going to play to win no matter what.

 

[DirtyDutchDiggler]

I have the NBA package and watch/record every game. I root for them to win. I paid for the package to watch wins. I personally have not said i wanted to tank the season. I feel the front office does and do what is necessary to do so. Though as is, when the grind of the season really starts, we just are not good enough to be a playoff team. The Knicks and Cavs I feel are both better than us and will be in the playoffs. And Don't look now but Sac is creeping up the standings while Charlotte is right where we want them if we use their pick.

 

[Bear Pride]

Speak the truth Jo and Taj. LOL @ the Tank Squad!

 

[clonetrooper264]

I have the NBA package and watch/record every game. I root for them to win. I paid for the package to watch wins. I personally have not said i wanted to tank the season. I feel the front office does and do what is necessary to do so. Though as is, when the grind of the season really starts, we just are not good enough to be a playoff team. The Knicks and Cavs I feel are both better than us and will be in the playoffs. And Don't look now but Sac is creeping up the standings while Charlotte is right where we want them if we use their pick.

If we somehow magically swapped places with NY and the Kings somehow miraculously did well enough to fall out of the top 12 and Charlotte somehow also fell out of whatever protection range that pick has, I'd be happy. 3 lotto picks in a loaded draft...can't even complain. Still can't help but feel that we're going to end up with a pick somehow not even top 20.

 

[vinson555]

Anyone, and I mean anyone who doesn't want to see the Bulls in the playoffs fighting this year is crazy. Just because you get that top player, doesn't promise you you will get titles. I mean Even if we did tank, no promise that some of the players who were even part of the tank job would even be here right now.

 

[Scoot26]

Anyone, and I mean anyone who doesn't want to see the Bulls in the playoffs fighting this year is crazy. Just because you get that top player, doesn't promise you you will get titles. I mean Even if we did tank, no promise that some of the players who were even part of the tank job would even be here right now.

No, but our chances are higher. Just look at San Antonio in 96-97..DRob got hurt for the year, team fell apart, hardly won any games... won the lotto, drafted Tim Duncan, won four championships.

 

[Axl Rose]

shut your mouth and tank noah...ive had about enough of your lip