Asked if the Bulls' high expectations were forcing players to talk among themselves about the 0-3 start, Bulls' rookie Joakim Noah took off.

"Of course," he said, "but I think the expectations we should have are the expectations we have and not the expectations others have, because they don't really know what goes on. They don't know the hard work."

"I wouldn't say that people thought we didn't play hard against Philadelphia [in the home opener Friday]. We might not have played well, but we played hard as a team. And for some of the fans to go and talk about Kobe, like screaming Kobe, I mean, we practice hard every day for this team."

"To me, that was kind of different because they wouldn't do that in college. But I realize that this is the pros. We're all we have, and at the same time, we have to stick together and play hard and show the fans that we're putting it on the line because I feel like we can play harder and play better."

Asked if he could understand the fans' frustration, Noah stuck another safe landing.

"I understand their perspective, but it's a long season," he said. "Fans are going to be fans. They're going to have their opinion. But at the same time, we're out here giving 100 percent every night."