Last season, the Joakim Noah fan wagon had more twists and turns and going high to low than any roller coaster at Six Flags. From being a 2x-Allstar and winning the Defensive Player of the Year award, Joakim Noah was as useless as a bolted chair last season in the playoffs.
The inability to make shots or wide open layups hurt Noah’s confidence moving forward. However, his inability to move after his surgery is what sparked his poor performance that snowballed into a horrible season which then made fans beg to trade Noah. From a fan favorite to the scapegoat of the Bulls; typical of any fan base in the four major sports. Fans can become fickle at times, even towards their favorite players. A lot people are asking for Noah to be traded, but there’s a good chance they’ll regret asking for a trade after the end of next season.
Obviously, Joakim Noah’s age is a factor moving forward. However, at least for this season he could be a major x-factor in the Bulls success. There was a whole lot of things going bad for Noah last season. However, he has a chance to excel with the changes that are made this off-season.
5 reasons Joakim Noah will have a Allstar caliber season:
1) Health: The main reason Noah had a down year was because of his inability to recover from his knee surgery last summer. It was clear Noah didn’t have his legs under him all season which made it difficult to watch the 2x-Allstar in the playoffs. With having the entire summer to rest and focus on his game instead of rehabilitating, this is a good start for Joakim Noah entering next season.
2) Reduced minutes: Bulls fans already know the tune of Thibodeau running his players into the ground. Well, if you believe that theory, you could add Joakim Noah to his hit list. Thibodeau had Noah playing on a bum knee the entire 2014 playoffs which led to his knee surgery last summer. Then, if that wasn’t bad, he had Noah playing on that bum knee and wasn’t able to fully recover. With the head coach and general manger on the same page for the first time, Noah’s minutes will be reduced which will make him much more efficient than years past.
3) New system: Joakim Noah excelled on the defensive end under Tom Thibodeau as he won Defensive Player of the Year in 2014, but not so much on the offensive end. Oftentimes, Noah was very out of place. Noah played in a stagnant offense that he was forced to play point-center at times. It might have looked nice in the box score watching him go 2nd in the NBA in triple-doubles in the 2013-2014 season, but it wasn’t what he was supposed to do in order to win. A lot of what Noah has done on offense was through his own IQ, not through a system. Queue in Fred Hoiberg. Noah is the most ideal center for Hoiberg’s system. Noah will finally have a spot where he fits on the offensive end despite lacking offensive skills for the most part. Hoiberg needs a big man who can pass to the open shooter and bring the ball up the court in a uptempo fashion which will magnify Noah’s offensive skills.
4) Contract year: Let’s be real here for a moment. Players tend to go above and beyond their talent in their contract year because their playing for that next deal. Joakim Noah has made a living off his hustle, but he has to prove that he still has something in the tank for another team or the Bulls to sign him to a long term deal next summer. Jimmy Butler is a good example of a contract year player who excelled beyond his limits. Noah, at age 30, won’t break any glass ceilings for his potential this season. However, there’s a good chance he might regain his roll from 2013 in order to ink in a big contract.
5) New era of peace: Peace, love, and harmony. Three words that describes Joakim Noah’s hippy mentality. For seven years he wasn’t able to get that atmosphere in the Bulls locker-room, including the Del-Negro fiasco. Joakim Noah is all about harmony, but the feud between Thibodeau and the front office was beyond distracting for the players. When their head coach wasn’t able to see eye-to-eye with the men who signed their checks, it was clearly affecting the locker-room. With Fred Hoiberg in the picture, Noah will finally have the peace that he loves to talk about. Hopefully, the addition of Hoiberg will eliminate any drama from the front office this season.
