CHICAGO -- Pau Gasol talked to Joakim Noah when the Chicago Bulls travelled to Los Angeles to recruit the free-agent centre. Furkan Korkmaz 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." Andrew Toney Jersey . Raonic, the No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., had 18 aces in the match. He needed one hour 39 minutes to complete the victory. Aaron McKie Jersey . Burris threw for 247 yards in one half of a game -- on pace for a nearly 500-yard outing -- as the Redblacks downed the woeful Montreal Alouettes 26-10 in CFL pre-season play Friday night at Percival Molson Stadium. https://www.cheap76ers.com/696e-spencer-hawes-jersey-76ers.html . Right-hander Todd Redmond took the loss. Jose Bautista hit his second home run of the spring. Here are a handful of tidbits from around camp: Hutchison impressive The Blue Jays are being cautious when talking about their young arms but internally, excitement is building over the way Drew Hutchison is looking and performing this spring.Doha, Qatar (SportsNetwork.com) - World No. 1 star Novak Djokovic was an easy second-round winner Wednesday at the season-opening $1.22 million Qatar Open. The Serbian star blew past helpless Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-2, 6-1 in 61 minutes on the hardcourts at Khalifa International Tennis Complex. Djokovic was ruthless on serve, winning 29-of-34 of first-serve points. Up next for the Wimbledon champion will be 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic. In other action involving seeds, No. 3 Tomas Berdych whipped Slovenian qualifier Blaz Kavcic 6-1, 6-2; No. 4 David Ferrer took care of fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-2; No. 6 Frenchman Richard Gasqueet drilled Italian Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-2; and a No. Tobias Harris Jersey. 7 Karlovic topped Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. Also on Day 3, Dustin Brown grounded fellow German Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (11-9), 6-4, Italian Andreas Seppi erased Brazilian Joao Souza 7-5, 6-2 and Croat Ivan Dodig handled left-handed German Michael Berrer 7-6 (7-1), 6-2. The qualifier Berrer stunned defending Doha champion Rafael Nadal here on Tuesday. The other quarterfinals will pit the former Wimbledon runner-up Berdych against Gasquet, Ferrer versus Brown and Seppi against Dodig. Doha serves as a tune-up for the Australian Open. 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