© Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Joakim Noah shares how Derrick Rose would not run from a matchup against anyone - "He wouldn't take no for an answer"
Former Chicago Bulls great Joakim Noah was teammates with another Bulls legend in Derrick Rose from 2009 to 2015. During that time, the versatile big man saw first-hand the toughness, grit, and sheer determination that D-Rose brought to the court every night.
In a recent talk with Kevin Garnett, Noah opened up about his admiration for Rose's competitive attitude, sharing a story from his rookie season when the latter overruled his coach's defensive assignment and insisted on taking on one of the NBA's greatest point guards—Steve Nash.
DRose wanted the matchup
According to Noah, the Bulls were in the locker room, getting instructions from then-head coach Vinny del Negro, who assigned the team's pick-and-roll defender, Kirk Hinrich, to defend Nash. However, despite being a rookie, Rose voiced out his opposition to the assignment and said he wanted to take on the two-time league MVP.
"Kirk Heinrich was our best pick and roll defender so he's getting Steve Nash and Vinnie down there goes like 'Yo, Kirk you got Steve Nash.' And Pooh's like 'Nah, I got Steve Nash. I'm the point guard I'm not running from no matchup!'" Noah shared.
"The whole locker room quiet as hell but that's the kind of guy Pooh was in like who was not taking no for an answer and that's as a rookie," Noah added.
Awesome sharing the court with DRose
The dynamic duo of Noah and DRose brought a whole lot of excitement back to the Windy City. Although they didn't win any NBA titles, they energized the franchise and the fans, much like how Michael Jordan did in the 90s.
"It was awesome playing with that guy, you know. Just what he represented to the City of Chicago and he was just like, you know, he's a quiet guy but you know, every time he stepped on the floor, you know, we felt like we had a chance to win," Noah said.
