CHICAGO -- Pau Gasol would take it personally if he wasn’t on the floor to close out games for the Chicago Bulls.

“That’s not a good sign,” Gasol said after practice Saturday. “That’s not a good sign when you’re put in that position because a coach doesn’t rely on you to deliver in those minutes. So, basically he doesn't trust you. He trusts somebody else to do that job. So, it’s not a good sign for you.”

Gasol said he has never been on the bench on a consistent basis late in games, and it was something he talked to the Bulls about before joining the team. Carlos Boozer was the Bulls' starting power forward last season, but he wasn’t often the power forward that closed out games for them.

“Obviously I’d like to be on the floor when the game is on the line,” Gasol said. “That’s what I’ve been getting paid for my entire career. That’s what I want to continue to do.”

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Saturday he hasn’t determined how he will close out games yet. One of his objectives is still to see how everyone meshes together in those late minutes.

“I haven’t seen everyone, so that’s hard to make that decision,” Thibodeau said. “You have a pretty good idea. You want to see them together. That’s the big thing. To see what works best, how they can be utilized. That’s still a work in progress. We want to get a look at that.

“Whatever you have to do, whatever makes the most sense for your team, that’s what you’re going to do. And we’ll see. I know Derrick [Rose] and Joakim [Noah] have finished games for us before. Joakim and Taj [Gibson] have obviously finished a lot of games for us. Now I want to see Pau. I want to see him out there with those guys to see how it all fits. Maybe it is game by game. You don’t know. They have to be out there to make that determination. We have to get a look at it.”

Thibodeau thought Gasol’s game has varied throughout the preseason, but he was pleased overall with what Gasol can provide the Bulls.

“Some good, some bad, some in the middle,” Thibodeau said of Gasol’s play. “He’s been around a long time. He’s learning his teammates. His teammates are learning him. But I like his overall play. He’s just a good player. He plays both sides of the ball, the length, the shot blocking at the rim are huge for us. And offensively, he can score different ways. He can shoot. He can post. I like his passing. I just think his passing makes everyone better. That’s important.”

Gasol thought he could fine-tune a few areas, but was happy with his performance so far. He also reported his body felt good.

“Right now, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve been able to do out there,” Gasol said. “Try to get a little more into the flow of the game, try to get a little more rhythm, establish myself a little more, but so far just getting a feel for the game. As for my minutes on the floor, it’s been positive for the team as far as what I’ve seen in the plus/minuses after every single game.”