Chicago Bulls' Depth Will Be Tested with Ailing Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol
Employing a remarkable big-man quartet of Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and rookie Nikola Mirotic, the Chicago Bulls undoubtedly possess one of the league's deepest frontcourts. But with starters Noah and Gasol ailing, the Gibson-Mirotic reserve duo must step up in order for the Bulls to make a deep postseason run.
Noah hasn't been the same player he was a year ago due to an offseason knee surgery in May 2014. The two-time All-Star has scored a total of eight points and is shooting just 18.8 percent from the field during the Eastern Conference semifinals, which the Bulls currently lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 2-1.
"The Cavaliers are leaving him open, and he's not making them pay," SB Nation's Tim Cato wrote.
While Noah isn't contributing much in terms of scoring, he is averaging a decent nine rebounds and 1.7 blocks against Cleveland, though.
Gasol, who has missed just three contests this season, left during the third quarter of Game 3 with a strained hamstring and did not return. Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau called his star forward day-to-day, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. If Gasol winds up missing Game 4, Thibodeau should opt to give Mirotic a bunch of minutes.
Get Ready for More Nikola Mirotic
Mirotic remained overseas for a couple of years after being acquired by the Bulls on draft night 2011. Fans didn't know what to expect once he finally arrived in the Windy City last summer.
He didn't disappoint, serving as an offensive weapon off the bench (10.2 points per game) and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting behind the Minnesota Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins.
Mirotic would only play a combined nine minutes during the first two games of the Cavs series. However, he would erupt in Game 3, which the Bulls won 99-96, thanks to a Derrick Rose buzzer-beating three-pointer. With the team needing a boost, Mirotic played 21 minutes, finishing with a career playoff-high 12 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune gave an excellent description of Mirotic's second quarter:
"After entering the game in the second quarter, Mirotic was everywhere. He grabbed two rebounds in his first 36 seconds. He cut in the lane and hit a tough leaner and then drilled a 16-foot jumper with no hesitation. Pau Gasol fed him for a wide-open 3-pointer, and his swish tied the score 38-38.
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Per Greenstein, Thibodeau was impressed with the first-year pro: "I like what he did on both ends. Confident. That's who he is."
It's odd that Thibs barely used Mirotic earlier in the series. He proved he was an offensive force during the regular season, scoring at least 23 points on 11 different occasions. And serving as a stretch 4, he makes opposing teams' bigs chase him around the perimeter, which opens up driving lanes for the likes of Rose and Jimmy Butler.
For those of you wanting to see a lot of Mirotic in Game 4, you should get your wish.
Taj Gibson Has Already Answered the Call
If Gasol misses any time, Gibson will more than likely replace him as the starting power forward. Although the USC Trojans product isn't the big time All-Star that Gasol is, he's clearly one of Chicago's most important players.
Per Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, Thibodeau spoke about what Gibson brings to the table each and every night:
"Taj is always important. That's the one thing you can't overlook, what he brings to our team, his defense, his rebounding. He's probably our best low-post defender. He's our best guy at moving his feet. Offensively it's hard to put a small on him -- he can overpower you inside with his post game. Second shots. He's got a good 17-foot shot, it's not like you can disregard him. You've got to pay attention to him. He's critical for our team.
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Thus far, Gibson has looked great off the bench during these playoffs.
He recorded eight points and 11 boards in Game 1 of the first-round meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite a Game 2 loss to Cleveland, he came up with 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the field. And his nine-point, nine-rebound effort in Game 3 can't be overlooked, either.
Against the Cavs, Gibson is averaging a solid 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Plus, he's shooting a red-hot 78.6 percent.
With both Noah and Gasol at less than 100 percent, the Bulls can use a small-ball lineup that includes Gibson playing center and Mirotic sparking the offensive with his outside shooting.
This duo will surely be tested by the Cavs' big men, and we shall see whether they'll help Chicago pull out a Game 4 victory.
All stats are from Basketball-Reference.com and accurate as of May 9.
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