Two seasons ago, Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls had not even made it to the midpoint of the season, but were in dire straits nonetheless.
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Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah will undergo surgery on his dislocated left shoulder and will miss 4-6 months, the team said in a news release Saturday.
Noah suffered the injury during Friday’s 83-77 loss to Dallas when he became entangled with Mavericks center JaVale McGee. He’s averaging 4.3 points per game this season with 8.8 rebounds per game and 1.0 blocks per game after seeing his playing time cut due to the play of Pau Gasol.
The 2014 NBA Defensive Player of the Year is expected to have a full recovery, but his next appearance in an NBA uniform could be with another team.
The Chicago Bulls have recalled forward Cristiano Felicio from the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League with Joakim Noah sidelined by a separated left shoulder.
But while he has been mentioned in numerous trade rumors and also admitted that he is not comfortable with his current role, Noah insisted that he is still committed to Chicago.
Salah Mejri, however, may have earned more playing time after totaling 17 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. He’ll also be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and the Bulls may prefer to recoup an asset as opposed to just letting him walk for nothing next summer. While this is not exactly young for a player who relies on athleticism, he is a smart player who can make adjustments to his game. But even if Chicago were to explore trade scenarios involving Noah, he might be seen as damaged goods if his latest shoulder injury requires surgery or a long layoff.
“Just knowing how hard he works, how hard he wants to be on the court, how much it means to this team, it’s devastating”, Rose said Friday after the loss to the Mavericks about Noah.
It is the second time this season Noah has injured his left shoulder.
“When you see that happen to someone like Jo, who is the energy guy on this team, it is going to affect us”, said Hoiberg, though he added that he didn’t think it affected the outcome of the game as much as other factors. It is frustrating…It hits you in the heart…the look on his face, is insane.
He’s going to get his conditioning and timing back, and he’s going to help us a lot.
But no one likely ever has spoken to a sports community, articulated the way Noah did in his play and in his words.
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“We have a tough stretch coming up; we understand that”, Gasol said.
