As of late, all signs have pointed to Joakim Noah being on his way out of Milwaukee. He lost his starting spot. He recently underwent season-ending surgery on his shoulder. Prior to his injury, there were reports that Noah was unhappy in Chicago under Fred Hoiberg, and that the Bulls were shopping him.
However, Noah says that he does in fact want to stay with the Bulls. When asked about whether he would like to return to Chicago, Noah told Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune:
“I hope so,” he said. “Right now, I’m not trying to focus on the future. I just had season-ending surgery last week but this is all I know. I’m looking forward to see what the guys are doing and just right now it’s all about taking a step back and just focusing on getting healthy and then we’ll go from there.”
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“This is all I know,” Noah added. “I’ve been here nine years. I’ve been injured before. Maybe not in this position and situation but I’m looking forward to being around the guys.”
Coach Fred Hoiberg said Noah spoke with teammates during practice and is a welcomed addition to practices.
“ ‘Jo’ is going to bring energy,” Hoiberg said. “He’s the leader of this team so to have him around is a boost to our team.”
Both parties seem to be feeling good about one another. That would contradict quite a few reports though. Regardless of how Noah’s feeling right now, there has no doubt been some friction in Chicago. The Bulls might not be the best fit for Noah right now, but as he said, Chicago is all he’s ever known. Re-locating to a new city after 9 years is a big deal. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. A lot depends on how he looks post-injury. At 30 years old, Noah isn’t exactly a young guy, but he could definitely have a few more good years left.
