Charlotte Hornets v Chicago Bulls The Bulls depended on Joakim Noah last season, carrying them while Derrick Rose missed most of the year and after Luol Deng got traded.
Noah did so much to lift the Bulls to 48 wins, he finished fourth in MVP voting.
But that heavy workload took its toll. Noah played through knee pain the second half of the season, and he underwent “minor” surgery in the offseason that didn’t sound so minor.
Where does Noah stand now?
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times:
“Jo’s [left] knee is going to be an issue all season,’’ the source said. “He has played through pain before with the plantar [fasciitis], but this is completely different, a different level.’’
According to the source, Noah entered camp “panicked’’ that he wouldn’t even be able to start the season in the lineup, let alone participate in camp like he has.
I’m not sure we should trust this source.
As the quoted paragraph shows, this source has already overreacted to the extent of the injury once. Noah has played in six of Chicago’s seven preseason games, including a combined 48 minutes in a back-to-back Sunday and Monday. Perhaps, the source is overreacting again.
And the source – described as “a member of the Noah camp” – has incentive to exaggerate the extent of the injury, which the Bulls have downplayed. The more serious of an injury Noah is playing through, the more heroic he seems. Maybe Cowley has developed such a strong relationship with this source that the information is reliable, but the report is hardly infallible.
However, when I asked a doctor about Noah’s “minor” surgery, Benjamin Wedro of MD Direct explained:
The injury can be acute or chronic. In the chronic injury, there is degeneration and wafting away of the cartilage tissue. It is a bigger deal when parts of the remaining cartilage is removed.
It may be relatively minor, but there is no such thing as minor surgery. The risk of developing arthritis later in life increases.
The Bulls – who kept Taj Gibson and added Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic – have plenty of depth at power forward and center. They can ease the burden on Noah – or, if Tom Thibodeau gets his way, play him 48 minutes per game. (I kid, I kid.)
I wouldn’t freak out about Noah’s health right now, but it’s worth monitoring. Consider this report a reason to keep your eyes pealed for further warning signs.
-
- miamibeatles - Oct 23, 2014 at 9:03 AM
-
Keep his minutes down this season. (Pointing at you Tom Thibodeau).
-
- andrewwiggins22 - Oct 23, 2014 at 9:22 AM
-
Anthony Davis wil be the DPOY. Get well though, Jo.
-
- ProBasketballPundit - Oct 23, 2014 at 9:59 AM
-
This is why I’m so annoyed by team previews that say things like, “They’re finally healthy.”
Yeah right. You never really know who’s healthy until the playoffs start. Maybe what really bothers me is all the irrational optimism.
-
- truehooper1421 - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:10 PM
-
So everyone should just assume previously injured players will remain injured?
“You never really know who’s healthy until the playoffs start”
That makes no sense. LeBron James is healthy now. That’s a fact. But he might not be healthy come playoff time. So we should also assume that no player in the NBA is healthy for the regular season, according to you?
If Marc Gasol is playing and healthy now, then he is. If he gets hurt in 3 months, then he isn’t. Until then, he is. Why does that bother you?
-
- ProBasketballPundit - Oct 23, 2014 at 7:41 PM
-
If every single NBA team has played exactly 0 minutes of basketball and you’re writing a team preview you shouldn’t say something like “They’re healthy now.”
Because they’ve played 0 minutes of basketball. Healthy sitting at home eating a Quesarito Big Box isn’t basketball healthy. So what I’m saying is let’s not assume anything. Yet when you read these PBT team previews every one is like “____ is healthy heading into the season.” Well who isn’t besides Paul George?
-
- avb300 - Oct 23, 2014 at 11:50 AM
-
Mirotic is a joke. To think a contending team like the Bulls can rely on him if Noah or any big goes down is laughable.
Maybe in a few years but right now he’s not good at all.
-
- frankyt35 - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:42 PM
-
How would u know if he is any good dude I bet u never seen a Bulls game in ur life go kick stones in the dump u live in which is Detroit or Cleveland I bet u loser d bag troll.
-
- tk41 - Oct 23, 2014 at 2:42 PM
-
A joke? You’re clearly unfamiliar with his game. He’ll have to add a little strength to start logging serious minutes, but he’ll be a productive player from the get-go. He already has a very nice stroke, 3 point range and has been able to create his own shot. Even if his D is suspect (and I think it will be, at least early on) Thib’s system is more of a team concept, which can hide poor individual defenders.
Their bench front court of Taj, Mirotic & McDermott will likely be a significant strength for the team throughout the year. They’re not going to ask Mirotic to fill in for Noah, mostly because they play different positions! If Noah goes down, they’ll fill his minutes in aggregate – a luxury they have due to a very deep bench.
-
- labnax1960 - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:27 PM
-
Well HIPPA won’t authorize the release of his medical records so who is this source or report. Seriously! Hopefully not!
-
- lakerade - Oct 23, 2014 at 2:07 PM
-
The big man depth should keep minutes down all around, as long as Thibs is okay with showing a different look w Pau and Mirotic, different meaning more offense but less defense. If defense is the only mantra yet again, then Jo remains the centerpiece.
-
- rushbacker - Oct 23, 2014 at 5:02 PM
-
Whether the source is over-reacting or not, I think it’s been clear for a while now that this IS a developing problem for Chicago. Dude is a warrior, but his knees ain’t immortal– they can only handl so much grind, no matter the will power behind this. If Thibs continues to be too stubborn to accept that, he’s gonna end up taking a couple years off Noah’s career, which would be a real shame. Very effective coach, but he doesn’t treat his best players like assets– I wouldn’t want the donkey coaching my team.
