The health concerns for Joakim Noah and his Bulls teammates are crucial before the postseason begins, but limiting his minutes has made Noah anxious.
It might be hurting the Chicago Bulls, who are in a 2-5 seed positioning hunt for the playoffs, to be limiting the minutes of Joakim Noah as of late. That limit was set to 32 minutes by Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, whose immediate future in Chicago has been reported as unlikely.
Despite clear reservations, Noah isn’t going to do or say anything against the decision. Even if it does frustrate him.
From Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago:
Being caught in the middle of a controversy between his coach and the front office doesn’t sit well with Joakim Noah, who had to sit the last half of the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 32-minute restriction placed on him by management to coach Tom Thibodeau has added another layer to the growing speculation about the relationship between the two parties, leading to more endless speculation about the future. …
“I don’t want to be a distraction,” he said. “We’ll figure it out internally and do what’s best for the team.
“It’s frustrating but I think I’m not the only one who’s frustrated. It’s part of the grind but I’m trying to stay focused on what’s important. I’m not trying to get caught up in any noise.”
Noah seems to be one of Thibs’ loyal players. He and Thibodeau share the same gritty, defensive mentalities. Since Noah is back and recovered from his ankle issue this season, he might just be anxious to be out there and competing.
Whether or not Noah is in favor of Thibs to remain his head coach, his sheer loyalty won’t allow him to feed the notion that Bulls players are ready for him to go. At any rate, in Noah’s words, guys are frustrated.
The Bulls have 14 games left in the regular season. Things are tight with Washington, Toronto, and Cleveland. There’s a decent chance Noah’s minute restriction will be lifted before the playoffs get here.
