Jo's Workout with Kareem and Taj's Beliefs

Much has been made lately about Joakim Noah's offseason workouts with NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  And there are quite a few reasons why.  Just consider who's wing Noah was taken under over the summer.  All Kareem did in his career was win six championships, six MVP awards and became the league's all-time leading scorer, a distinction he continues to hold. 

True, Noah is nowhere near the player Kareem was.  He's not a pure scorer, likely won't enjoy 20 professional years and doesn't exactly have a legendary Sky Hook.  But taking all that into consideration, there's a lot of experience in that tall frame of a man who was a formidable force during the '70s and '80s.  We all know Noah's value to the team.  Can you imagine what greater improvement looks like?  Soon, we'll see if Kareem's student can put the things he learned into use during a big game.

Taj Gibson recently told reporters that the Bench Mob nickname "will never be retired" and a new Bench Mob is currently taking form.  White I have to admire Gibson's desire to keep it going, there will never be another Bench Mob like the one that electrified the United Center for two years.  These were characters just as much as terrific backups.  C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver, Omer Asik and of course, Brian Scalabrine made themselves known with their personalities as well as their stellar play.  They'll never reach the 1985 Bears as far as glory and recognition, but all of those guys will receive rousing ovations once their teams return to Chicago.  They might be imitated, but they'll never be duplicated. 

Sure, they might still sell the t-shirts and other assorted merchandise with the name, but will this new bench offer the same electricity as the previous crop?  Too soon to tell.  However, I do know that they won't capture our hearts in the same way unless they find a way to get past Miami in the playoffs.  Am I being too rough on them?  Perhaps, but they can still sway me.  Once the regular season tips off, we'll see if they're deserving of us Bulls fans showering a great amount of love upon them.