CHICAGO -- Pau Gasol talked to Joakim Noah when the Chicago Bulls travelled to Los Angeles to recruit the free-agent centre. Jeremy Mathieu Jersey . He spoke with Derrick Rose over the phone, and Mike Dunleavy also reached out to the 7-foot veteran. What Gasol found was a hungry team in search of a championship, and it was enough to convince the skilled Spaniard to trade the warmth of Southern California for the cold winters of the Windy City. Gasol and newcomer Nikola Mirotic were at the United Center on Friday for a pair of press conferences announcing their new contracts. The 34-year-old Gasol begins his 14th NBA season with career averages of 18.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists, and the 6-10 Mirotic joins the Bulls after a successful final season with Real Madrid. "It was a gut feeling. I thought Chicago was going to be the best fit for me," Gasol said. "Its a great challenge, but Im driven by challenge. I look forward to it." Gasol began his career with Memphis and was traded to Los Angeles in February 2008. He formed a strong bond with Kobe Bryant while helping the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Finals from 2008-10, winning the title the last two of those years. Weighing interest from NBA champion San Antonio and Oklahoma City among other teams, Gasol said his conversations with Noah and Rose helped sway him to Chicago. Noah was the leagues defensive player of the year last season, and Rose is coming back from a pair of knee injuries which kept the 2011 MVP out for much of the last two seasons. "How humble they were, I think thats real important to be able to not have big egos, that makes things a lot easier," Gasol said. "Their passion, their hunger as well. Theyre hungry. Theyre hungry to win, thats something that I wanted to also come into, to be a part of a hungry team." Rose played only 10 games last season before he was shelved for the year by a torn meniscus in his right knee. Chicago still managed to win 48 games and make the playoffs, where it lost to Washington in the first round. Rose is expected to return this season, and the addition of Gasol and Mirotic should give Chicago one of the deepest frontcourts in the league. Noah set career highs with 12.6 points, 11.3 and 5.4 assists per game last year, and Taj Gibson blossomed into one of the leagues top reserves. The Bulls used the amnesty clause to cut Carlos Boozer on Tuesday, leaving an opening in the starting lineup. But coach Tom Thibodeau isnt sure what the lineup is going to look like just yet. "I dont know how its going to unfold," he said, "you know, who will be the starter, whos finishing? Maybe we change as we go. Were going to see once we get everyone out there together. Were always going to do whats best for the team." Gasol, a Barcelona native, also should be able to help with Mirotics transition to the NBA. The 23-year-old Mirotic, who was acquired in a 2011 draft-night deal with Minnesota, averaged 12.4 points while shooting 46 per cent from 3-point range last season with Real Madrid. Mirotic, a stretch power forward who has drawn comparisons to sharpshooters Hedo Turkoglu and Ryan Anderson, was believed to be one of the top players in the world outside of the NBA. "I strongly believe that I am ready for this challenge," Mirotic said through an interpreter. Gasol, Mirotic and first-round draft pick Doug McDermott address one of Chicagos biggest problems from a year ago. The Bulls had the NBAs top defence last season, allowing 91.8 points per game, but they also averaged a league-low 93.7 points. "I think weve added shooting. Of course, getting Derrick back is a huge piece," Thibodeau said. "So it depends how it all fits together. We wont know until we get out there." Jordi Alba Barcelona Jersey . Just thirty seconds into the game, Flyers defencemen Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen circled back into their zone to collect the puck. Alex Song Barcelona Jersey . -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have released veteran guard Uche Nwaneri, who started 63 of the teams last 64 games and didnt miss a snap last season. Manchester Uniteds already arduous season just got tougher. The English champions were drawn Friday to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, pitting them against the defending champions and the favourites. "I was thrilled that we were in the draw. In a lot of ways, it didnt matter who we drew," said Manchester United manager David Moyes, who has led United into the quarterfinals for the first time since reaching the 2011 final. "But we have pulled out the favourites." In the other quarterfinal pairings, Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in a rematch of last years semifinals, Spanish clubs Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will meet for a spot in the next round, and Paris Saint-German will take on 2012 champion Chelsea. United and Barcelona will host the opening two matches on April 1, while Madrid and PSG are at home for their first legs on April 2. The return legs will be played on April 8-9. Five-time champion Bayern will be looking to heap even more pressure on Moyes. United is a disappointing seventh in the Premier League and likely needs to win the Champions League to qualify for next seasons competition. "Perhaps they are not in the best form, but they are still a top team," said Bayern winger Arjen Robben, who scored a late goal to eliminate United from the competition at the same stage four years ago. "Its a good draw, we play away first." Bayern, meanwhilee, is unbeaten in 50 Bundesliga games under coach Pep Guardiola and leads second-place Dortmund by 23 points. Luis Suarez Barcelona Jersey. Dortmund beat Madrid in the semifinals last year before losing to Bayern in the final at Wembley Stadium. But Madrid is unbeaten in 31 games in all competitions, and Cristiano Ronaldo leads the Champions League with 13 goals this season. "When you repeatedly make the last eight you have to count on meeting one team often," Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said. "It could be an advantage that we first play in Madrid. Its no time to raise the white flag yet." Three Spanish clubs reached the quarterfinals and at least one is guaranteed to play in the semifinals. Although four-time champion Barcelona has excelled in the Champions League, the Spanish champions have had an irregular season at home and have yet to beat Atletico in three games -- all draws. "Being an opponent we know can be helpful or not. There wont be any surprises," Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes said. "They are a tough rival. We cant allow any goals at home." For Chelsea, coach Jose Mourinho will need to come up with a strategy to stop Zlatan Ibrahimovic when the English leaders travel across the channel to face French champion PSG in the first leg. Mourinho led Chelsea against PSG in the tournaments group stage in 2004-05, when the Blues won 3-0 in Paris before a scoreless draw at home. wholesale jerseys wholesale nfl jerseys china jerseys from china nfl jerseys cheap authentic cheap jerseys ' ' '
