Mired in a season of disappointment, this weekend the Chicago Bulls likely put forth the biggest reason for Eastern Conference foes to maintain any fear of them as the 2007-08 campaign progresses.
Through the stagnant offense, the coaching carousel and all the losing, the Bulls remain a team. They remain a team concerned with sticking together, being accountable and maintaining some semblance of class in their behavior.
As reported from the AP on ESPN.com, the Bulls suspended Joakim Noah for Sunday's game against the Hawks. That would be the Bulls who suspended Noah. Not the Chicago front office. The Bulls themselves.
They delivered a unanimous vote after the rookie from Florida was involved in a confrontation with assistant coach Ron Adams in practice before Friday's game at Philadelphia.
Noah was inactive for the Philadelphia game for internal disciplinary reasons, but the players told interim coach Jim Boylan one game was not enough.
All of Steve's daily posts can be found in the CelticsBlog: NBA blog. Check him out!
I don't know the specifics of Noah's altercation with Adams. I don't know if suspending him for the extra game was a just move or not.
But I know this much: It is very impressive to witness any squad of players in today's NBA looking to hold itself accountable for their off-court conduct.
The phrase "breath of fresh air" comes to mind. In a league where coaching is often written off as meaningless because of the "inmates run the asylum" image that the league has, and considering the recent coaching turmoil that has occurred in Chicago, it is indeed truly refreshing to hear about the players both unifying themselves with the current coaching staff and placing a value on classy behavior.
This isn't to say that a two-game suspension to a marginally productive rookie will turn around the Bulls' season. But it is a demonstration that this organization has put together a group of players interested in going about their work the right way, and if ever there has been an NBA campaign that demonstrated the importance of chemistry, character and 'the right way,' it is this one. One need look no farther than the differing results in Portland and New York to come to that realization. Or the way the Celtics' three stars have put aside issues of individual prestige in exchange for what Bill Russell would call the team ego. Or the fact that despite injuries abounding, the Spurs keep cruising.
There is still much to be said for having a group of players who 'get it.' With their willingness to discipline Joakim Noah, the Bulls showed that they do.
It is no given that the good vibes will transfer on to the court (they certainly didn't in Atlanta), but with the team thinking the right way and players talking about how they still want to salvage the season, it wouldn't be much of a shock either.