The Jerry Sloan Region
(1) Joakim Noah vs (4) Nate Robinson. The biggest height differential in this tournament. Nate Robinson played all 82 games for the Bulls in 2012-13 and averaged 13.1 points per game. If this bracket was determined by pure popularity, he’d definitely be in the final four. Who could forget the amazing 4th quarter he had against the Nets in the 2013 NBA Playoffs? Pure magic.
But as loved as Nate was, no one embodied who the Bulls were more than Joakim Noah. The emotional leader, he will be remembered forever in Chicago. I don’t think we’ll ever see another Joakim Noah. Joakim moves on.
Last, but not least, (2) Pau Gasol vs (3) Carlos Boozer. Ironically, at the time both players were signed, they were seen as the missing piece of the puzzle. Boozer, signed in 2010, was the consolation prize for Chicago after missing out on LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Still, Boozer had a solid career in Chicago and was an underrated Bull in my opinion. Gasol, signed in 2014, was brought on to finally get over the hump in the East. Unfortunately, that never happened, but Gasol still managed to make the All-Star team in both seasons in Chicago.
This might come as a surprise, but Boozer slightly edges Gasol in this matchup as I feel he had a greater impact in his time in Chicago than Gasol, even if he didn’t make the All-Star team (My mentions are open). If you look at the stats, they aren’t that far off.
Finally, (1) Joakim Noah vs (3) Carlos Boozer. I can just picture Boozer screaming, “GRAB THAT JO”. Boozer had a nice run, but as I mentioned earlier, Joakim is on another level in Chicago. He moves on to the final four, a round he’s no stranger to.