Chicago Bulls: Noah and Boozer Benched for Second Game in a Row

With Derrick Rose out with a toe injury, the Chicago Bulls trudged past a scrappy Washington Wizards team Wednesday night. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer are starters, but Tom Thibodeau felt more comfortable with Omer Asik and Taj Gibson late in the game.  

Offensively, Boozer has been shooting well. He's making about 50 percent of his shots and tallying about 14 points a game. Nick Friedell of ESPN.com reports that he's lost some weight from last year.  

"Bulls general manager Gar Forman said during Sunday's media day that he thought Boozer had dropped at least '20 pounds,'" said Friedell.

Historically, Boozer has not been known for his defense. In Thibodeau's scheme, you either play defense or you sit.  

Noah, on the other hand, made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team last year and is known for his defensive intensity. Currently, though, he's struggling to find his groove and foul trouble has him playing only 26.5 minutes a game. Last year, he was in for 32.8. Also, his rebounding has declined—snatching only 7.8 loose balls a game compared to 10.4 last year.      

It's good to have options. Tom Thibodeau's decision to stick with the defensive abilities of Omer Asik and Taj Gibson has led to wins, and that's all that counts.  

In an article by Bulls reporter K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Thibodeau said,

"

You're just going with how the matchups are going, you know you can have lockdown defense with (Taj Gibson and Asik). We're in the midst of a lot of games in a short amount of time. You have to go with the guys who have some energy. Carlos and Jo are a huge part of this team. On most nights, they carry us.

"