Not only did Noah have offseason knee surgery, but he spent most of the 2014-15 campaign hobbled and his production dipped a bit, as he averaged 7.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per outing in 67 appearances.
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Looking to respond after back-to-back losses, the Dallas Mavericks hope to take advantage of a wounded and exhausted Chicago Bulls team Friday night while making the second stop of their current three-game road trip.
He suffered a tear in the joint on December 21 and missed nine games, returning earlier this week.
“With this schedule and the magnitude of opponents, you got to scratch and claw to get anything you can”, said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 23-18 on the season. The Bulls are also too late into the season to file a disabled player exception – the deadline expired yesterday. While his 8.8 rebounds per game are still solid, this is his lowest average since the 2008-2009 season.
Center Pau Gasol has been hindered by a shoulder problem and did not make the trip to Philadelphia for Thursday’s game…. “Jo brings a lot to our team, a lot of energy, great spirit, great competitiveness, intensity”.
By the time the 2016-2017 season comes around, Noah will be 31-years-old. Look for the Bulls to lean on Cameron Bairstow or Cristiano Felicio to help replace Noah’s minutes.
The Bulls will need to replace Noah’s inside presence.
The injury was originally termed a “dislocated shoulder” by the team, but they later corrected the report to a “separated shoulder”. “Hits you in the heart to see him like that on the (training) table”.
Butler has been very reliable and gets the job done on both ends of the floor as he is a potent offensive weapon, as well as an energetic defender who is up for the challenge against the stars in the same position. Concerns about how his lack of shooting range would work in Hoiberg’s preferred approach on offense have proven justified: he made just five shots outside the basket area in 29 games this season.
“I’m frustrated for him”, Bulls power forward Taj Gibson said, via The Chicago Tribune. There’s a lot of hardship in here, a lot of adversity in this city, and I feel like when I play basketball I want people to be proud of their team.
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But no one likely ever has spoken to a sports community, articulated the way Noah did in his play and in his words.
