LAS VEGAS -- Brad Miller's signing with the Houston Rockets hit a lot of people in Chicago hard, but maybe none more so than his close friend and teammate Joakim Noah.
The young Bulls center was sad to hear the news that his veteran mentor was on his way to Texas after agreeing to a three-year, $15-million deal on Saturday with the Rockets.
"I learned a lot from Brad," he said in a text message to ESPNChicago.com. "It's going to be very different with him not around. He's a real professional."
The pair struck up a bond after Miller was traded back to the Bulls in the middle of the 2008-09 season. They could usually be seen joking around about something in the Bulls locker room and Noah consistently referred to his buddy as "The Duck." The Bulls had hoped to bring back Miller to continue to serve as a backup center/mentor to Noah.
"I wish him nothing but the best," Noah continued. "We're going to miss the bash brothers."