The Chicago Bulls will nearly certainly be forging ahead without center Joakim Noah for the 2016-17 season and beyond, based on comments he made to teammates, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
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Hoiberg led the Bulls to a 42-40 finish in his first year at the helm, forcing the franchise to miss out on the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Fantasy Impact: “The Bulls will try to persuade the veteran to return, and while there is a strong love for Chicago, Noah’s pride was hurt in the entire benching drama”.
The issue stems from cracks in the relationship between Bulls players and the Chicago front office, namely General Manager Gar Forman.
The longest-tenured member of the Chicago Bulls may be leaving the organization this summer. Whether Noah’s willing to listen to the Bulls’ pitch is now in doubt.
The player was asked if Noah’s feelings had anything to do with first-year coach Fred Hoiberg and the tension that developed between the two early in the season, when Noah lost his starting job. If I’m being totally honest I don’t trust Gar Forman either. In both seasons Noah averaged double digits in points (11.9 in 2012-2013 and 12.6 in 2013-2014) and rebounds (11.1 in 2012-2013 and 11.3 in 2013-2014).
Two years ago he was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and one of the more popular members of a team still in the conversation for an National Basketball Association championship.
Chicago Bulls all-star center Joakim Noah, a longtime staple at the United Center and in the Chicago area, may be moving on from the Windy City. He also pointed out that Pau Gasol is likely going elsewhere while Cristiano Felicio is a player who fits this offense entering his second season.
The 31-year-old Noah has spent his entire nine-year career in Chicago, but he’s coming off his most hard season as a professional, as he played just 29 games and averaged a career-low 4.3 points before suffering a season-ending left shoulder injury in mid-January and undergoing surgery.
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“We know there’s at least one assistant [coach] that tells Gar everything that goes on, ” the player said.
