Two years ago, the idea of making Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah a sixth man would seem ludicrous. But it’s funny how time — and other changes — can alter the perception on a supposed crazy idea. Two days ago, the notion was floated by Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg that Noah may be a sixth man when 2015-16 gets rolling. While nothing has been decided yet, Noah is playing the part of good solider and says he’d be OK with such a switch, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com:

While new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t officially said that Joakim Noah will come off the bench in the team’s opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, the former All-Star center seems resigned to the fact he will be out of the starting lineup early in the season.

“It’s definitely an adjustment,” Noah said after Thursday’s practice. “But at the end of the day, it’s still basketball. I got to go out there, bring energy, and do what I do.”

Hoiberg said the Bulls will use the same lineup in Friday’s preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks in Lincoln, Nebraska, as they did Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers, when Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler, Tony Snell, Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol opened the game.

“We’ll start the same way,” Hoiberg said. “If it looks good, (that’s) a pretty good chance that’s the way we’ll go on opening night.”

The hope within the organization is that injured point guard Derrick Rose (orbital) will be able to return against the Cavaliers. That still leaves Noah, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-14, on the outside looking in.

“We’ve talked,” Hoiberg said of discussing the possibilities with Noah. “We talk about everything that he’s done. He was great, he was excited about playing with Taj (Gibson) last game. I think those two have a very good chemistry out there together. And (Noah) was the one that talked to me about that, about how well he feels he and Taj play together out there on the floor.”

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“I’ve played well with Taj in the past,” Noah said. “We just got to keep building. This isn’t about me, it’s not about Taj, it’s about what we can do to make this team better. It is what it is, and we got to go out there and find ways to make it work.”

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“Jo’s a pro,” Hoiberg said. “All our guys are at the end. Whatever we decide to do on the 27th, it’s not necessarily what we’ll do on Nov. 1. It’s just the start (of the season). It’s not an easy (decision); however, we start on Tuesday, but it’s not an absolute. We’ll continue to play different lineups out there, combinations, and see what we like best.”