Joakim Noah: Why Former DPOY Deserves A Shot At Redemption

Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah came into the 2014-15 campaign on the heels of a breakout season that saw him set career highs in several categories. Along with that, he played a significant role in Chicago’s second half playoff push.

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During that span, the Bulls reeled off 34 wins in their last 48 games, enabling them to finish fourth in the conference standings. And it appeared that Noah was well on his way to establishing himself as one of the best players at his position.

Season	Age	Tm	G	GS	MP	FG%	2P%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2007-08	22	CHI	74	31	20.7	.482	.484	.691	5.6	1.1	0.9	0.9	6.6
2008-09	23	CHI	80	55	24.2	.556	.558	.676	7.6	1.3	0.6	1.4	6.7
2009-10	24	CHI	64	54	30.1	.504	.504	.744	11.0	2.1	0.5	1.6	10.7
2010-11	25	CHI	48	48	32.8	.525	.526	.739	10.4	2.2	1.0	1.5	11.7
2011-12	26	CHI	64	64	30.4	.508	.509	.748	9.8	2.5	0.6	1.4	10.2
2012-13 ★	27	CHI	66	64	36.8	.481	.485	.751	11.1	4.0	1.2	2.1	11.9
2013-14 ★	28	CHI	80	80	35.3	.475	.476	.737	11.3	5.4	1.2	1.5	12.6
2014-15	29	CHI	67	67	30.6	.445	.447	.603	9.6	4.7	0.7	1.1	7.2
Career			543	463	29.9	.494	.495	.716	9.5	2.9	0.9	1.4	9.6

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/11/2015.

Fast forward to the present day, and we see just how much things have changed. What was supposed to be “minor” offseason knee surgery turned out to be anything but that and Noah’s production suffered, as he battled knee problems for most of the season.

His 7.2 points per outing is close to a 50 percent drop from last year and represents his lowest scoring output since the 2008-09 season. Furthermore, Noah posted career lows in both field goal percentage (44.5) and free throws (60.3). Needless to say, Noah did not have the kind of season that he had hoped for.

That being said, should the Bulls consider trading Noah? Absolutely not and here are a few reasons for that sentiment.

First of all, let’s take a closer look at his numbers prior to his injury-plagued 2014-15 season. Dating back to the 2011-12 campaign, Noah’s numbers increased in points, rebounds and assists in each of the next three seasons. And let us not forget that he and Taj Gibson were the defensive anchors for a Bulls team that finished no lower than fifth in points allowed in four of the five seasons under Tom Thibodeau.

Taking that into consideration, would it be logical to write off a player off whose production increased in three consecutive seasons after just one down year? Of course not.

I would also like to mention that Derrick Rose has missed more than two seasons worth of games and has been given every opportunity to work his way back from multiple injuries. That much was to be expected because Rose is still considered the face of the franchise. At the same time though, shouldn’t the guy that helped hold the team together during Rose’s absence be given the same consideration?

Another reason why we should pump the brakes on any trade talks is because the makeup of the team is a bit different from the 2013-14 season. In the absence of Rose and Luol Deng, Noah was given the responsibility of facilitating the offense and he executed that role to perfection, as his team-leading 5.4 assists average indicates.

But when you insert Rose back into the lineup, along with adding Gasol—who is a legitimate low post scorer, Noah’s role within the offense was going to be reduced to some extent. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to say that he is in the declining stage of his career at this point.

Lastly, let’s take a look at this scenario from a personnel standpoint. If the Bulls were to trade Noah, how would that impact the team? Well, for starters, the Bulls would have to slide Gasol over to the center position and insert Gibson into the starting lineup.

On the surface, this doesn’t sound like a bad idea because Gibson has performed well as both a reserve and a starter, averaging double figures in both roles the past two seasons. However, the situation becomes somewhat problematic because the team would not have depth at the center position.

While Nikola Mirotic, Doug McDermott and newcomer Bobby Portis have shown flashes of potential thus far, each of them would be undersized at the 5 spot. And although it is difficult to gauge how effective Cameron Bairstow would be due to his lack of playing time last season, it is doubtful that he would be able to hold his own against the elite centers in the league.

In other words, trading Noah would eliminate one of the few luxuries this Bulls team has had the past two seasons–depth in the frontcourt.

When you look at the overall body of work, Noah is a player who gives maximum effort regardless of how well or poorly he is playing. He runs the floor extremely well and is a capable finisher at the rim. And while his role as the team’s primary facilitator changed, Noah finished second on the team in assists per game with 4.7, which was second only to Rose’s 4.9. Let us also remember that despite the drop off in scoring from a year ago, Noah has been a double-digit scorer in five of the previous six seasons.

Having said that, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that having a center with these attributes will fit quite nicely in a new up-tempo system that is predicated on big men who can run, space the floor and help provide clean looks for the perimeter shooters. So in spite of all the talk that the front office should consider trading the eight-year veteran, Noah is still an important piece of Chicago’s roster because of his versatility. And as long as the rehab goes well this offseason, Noah will regain his form as the player who makes multiples effort on every possession while getting underneath the skin of the opposing team.

Next: Chicago Bulls: Is It Time To Consider Trading Joakim Noah?

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