Nick Friedell, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Hoiberg faces a big man challenge early in Bulls tenure

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Fred Hoiberg has a big man problem.

One big guy -- Pau Gasol -- wants the ball more. The other big guy -- Joakim Noah -- doesn't seem to want the ball at all.

Gasol believes he can score whenever he touches the ball, and he was frustrated by his lack of touches after Friday night's loss to the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, Noah, two years removed from a fourth-place finish in MVP voting, is averaging just 2.5 points a game and has taken just 38 shots all season.

As the Bulls prepare to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, it's clear that Hoiberg is trying to figure out exactly what works best for his team.

"The big thing is if you cut and move and screen and do the unselfish things, that stuff takes care of itself," Hoiberg said. "With Pau, you give him the ball at the elbow and he can make plays. He's a very good passer. But we can't stand [still]. That's where we need to get better. We've made improvements from where we were at the beginning of the season. But it needs to continue to get better."

Gasol is averaging 13.8 points a game, down from 18.5 last season. He's shooting just 45.5 percent from the field, which would be the lowest of his 14-year career.

Perhaps more telling of Gasol's slow start is that the Bulls are averaging just 96.4 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, which would also be the worst of his career. The last time a team averaged fewer than 100 points per 100 possessions with Gasol on the court was his rookie season in 2001-02 (96.9), according to ESPN Stats and Information. To put it in perspective, the only player with a lower rating on the Bulls right now is Doug McDermott at 92.9.

The Bulls' offensive efficiency rating jumps to 102.9 with Gasol off the floor.

"It's not so much about me, it's about the team, I feel," Gasol said. "Again, it's something I said many times through my career. When I see that things get a little bit out of whack or out of balance ... to stick that balance between inside and outside utilizing the abilities of your players and benefit of the team, making the game easier. For me I feel I always can make a difference on the floor -- on both ends of the floor. Offensively, I have a great repertoire, an IQ to make things happen not just for myself. I'm a very unselfish player, I love nothing more than to get teammates good shots and good looks and get a better flow of the offense. But it's all predicated on balance. It's not about asserting myself or wanting more shots or anything like that. I'm passed all those things. Now it's just a matter of how we can be a better team? How can we beat Golden State? How can we be smarter and play smarter and that's what I look at."

Gasol's numbers in the restricted area (58.8 percent in 2014-15, 59.1 percent in 2015-16) and his midrange numbers (45 percent in 2014-15, 45 percent in 2015-16) are almost identical. The difference is in the paint. Gasol shot 42.6 percent from the paint in 2014-15 and is shooting just 35.5 percent this season.

On the other hand, Gasol's numbers look great compared to Noah's offensive statistics. He is averaging 5.0 points per 40 minutes, by far the lowest of his career and his true shooting percentage (32 percent) is down 16 points from last season, his previous career low. Of his 38 shots on the season, none have been longer than eight feet away from the rim.

Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler believes Noah has to start taking midrange shots again.

"Just continually tell him to be confident," Butler said. "Shoot that midrange jump shot. He's been out here working on it somewhere, but when he gets in a game he doesn't shoot that shot. I tell him anytime he gets a look and can get to his set shot, you go ahead and take a shot even if you have to break a play. That's a shot that you work on every single day. That's why you work on it to do it in a game, so you gotta go out there and do it."

Noah, who is adjusting to coming off the bench for the first time in his NBA career since he was a rookie, has said his focus is on staying "aggressive" on the offensive end.

The Bulls will have to get Noah more involved if they want to be successful and part of that is helping him build his confidence back up.

"Yeah, when you start thinking about it too much in this game, it will affect you in a negative way, no matter what aspect of the game," Butler said. "When you start to think and you just don't play -- hell, I was struggling with that when I was a young player in this game. I would think too much and that's when bad things would happen, instead of just playing and let things come to you. It all seems so much easier."

Everything seems easier on paper, but as Hoiberg has found out early in his tenure, it's tough to keep everything running smoothly at the same time.

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