Joakim Noah is reportedly upset with his role within the Bulls. The veteran center was relegated to the bench before the season as rookie head coach Fred Hoiberg attempted to balance out his lineups. Noah has said all the right things since then, being a good teammate in accepting his role. However, according to reports from the Chicago Sun-Times, Noah is unhappy with that role and with his new coach:
A source said on Tuesday morning that Noah remains unhappy with his current standing in the organization, and “still hasn’t moved past losing his starting job’’ late in training camp. The source went onto say that Noah “hasn’t been a distraction by any means, but isn’t the biggest [coach Fred] Hoiberg fan these days.’’
This is certainly not surprising. Noah has been the spirit of the Chicago Bulls for a long time and he probably believes he is still the best big-man on the roster. On the other hand, injuries and age have taken their toll on him and he is no longer the same player he once was.
Noah is at least seemingly being a good teammate and not lashing out at the head coach for his benching. With Jimmy Butler having already criticized Hoiberg earlier in the year, any more negative press would not be good for a Bulls team seeking consistency.
If I were to make a guess, I would say that Noah will be shopped and traded this season. He clearly still wants to start for a good team and there are just not enough minutes to go around for the gluttony of big-men the Bulls possess. The emergence of rookie Bobby Portis makes this all the more likely. Chicago has a deep connection with Noah and he has been the lifeblood of that team for years, but it may be time for the two parties to go their separate ways.
