Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bulls’ playoff hopes are all but doomed. Already having played the entire season without star point guard Derrick Rose, the Bulls now are rumored to have said that All Star center Joakim Noah has been sidelined for the rest of the regular season as well as the playoffs.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau has done the best job that he can do all year long while suffering through a nearly insurmountable amount of injuries to key players. At this point in the season, the Bulls had a little bit of hope with Noah on his way back and hopefully Taj Gibson returning for the playoffs.
Now with Noah reportedly out for the rest of the season, the Bulls have taken a gigantic hit to not only their hopes, but their morale.
They are going to dearly miss Noah’s presence inside. There have been many who have said that Noah is this year’s best center in the NBA. He has improved offensively quite a bit and is already a force on defense and on the glass.
Noah has been the heart and soul of this team without Rose. He has always been one to make a momentum-shifting play and is the first one to let out a loud roar to get his teammates going.
There is no better passing center in the NBA than Noah. Regardless of any pre-conceived notions, this is not up for debate.
With all of his attributes, Noah will leave one huge gaping hole in the post for the Bulls. With the coaching of Thibodeau, the Bulls may have a shot to make it out of the first round. Past that point, I don’t give them much hope without the presence of Noah.
It is a sad day to be a Bulls fan if this is true. It may be time to start looking forward to next season in hopes that the entire team is healthy and ready to make a push in 2013-2014.
Ryan Heckman is a Minnesota Timberwolves writer and NBA contributor for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
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