The Bulls announced Wednesday that Joakim Noah will be shut down for three weeks as he battles plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Noah has been plagued with the condition since mid-January. He has already missed 10 games and, at minimum, will now miss 10 more.
"I don't know if you do replace him," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He was the second-leading rebounder in the whole NBA. He brings a lot of energy and has a great spirit to the game for us. He gets us possessions and out on the break. His offense has developed all year. It's a big loss. Other guys have to step up. The biggest concern is rebounding and when we play bigger front lines, not having his length is an issue."
There is no guarantee Noah will be healthy when this three-week window ends either. At the very least, he will need heavy conditioning to return as Noah admits he falls out of shape quickly when he isn't playing.
No matter how this non-surprising news is diced, it's a major setback for the Bulls at a time they are playing nine straight games against teams with either winning records or in the playoff hunt.
Derrick Rose, Brad Miller and Luol Deng didn't practice Wednesday with sore knees.
Photo: Joakim Noah yells from the bench duiring the Bulls' loss to Atlanta on Monday. (Brian Cassella/Tribune)
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If Vinny Del Dunderhead would have kept Noah on the shelf after the All Star break instead of letting Noah dictate to him when he was going to play his foot would be a lot healthier after 3 more weeks of rest. Great coaching/managemnet in this organization.
The whole point of the Cleveland-Washington trade was to clear cap space and an unspoken agreement that Ilgauskas would accept a buyout and eventually would end up back with the Cavs. That is especially the case now that Shaq is down for 2 months after his injury.
Yes get Zydrunas Ilgauskas Sigm him to a 3 year deal .. He can help against BIGS .. Dont let Clevelend get him back .OUTRAGEOUS
Can we get hiim.. Does he want back in Clevelend ??
It is pure nonsense to say that this is a good thing. None of the current players filling in for Noah will be on the team next year. Not having Noah means they may drop out of the playoffs, which will put Dollar Jerry in a cheap mood as per FAs. Rose needs to play in the postseason to continue his growth. PF is a position, along with SG, that needs to be upgraded. Hinrich, Gibson, and Warrick are all backups. Johnson played a couple of minutes last game. How is that going to tell you anything? Vinny the Ninny played Noah 30 minutes his last game, clearly worried about the man's health. This set him back another 2 weeks. If they would have shut him down from the start, he'd be back next week. Nice Miss Management, Pax.
Why don't we p/u the guy from Cavs who went to Houston and was released???? Do not know how to spell his name etc Cavs are going to resign him after 30 days... would be BIG BIG help this year and next
"Unless the Bulls are capable of showing themselves to be a team on the rise, a quality F.A. isn't going to be interested in them, period."
That makes no sense at all. Do you watch the Bulls? When healthy they are probably the 3rd or 4th best team in the East. Taj, Noah, and Deng are all quality players and the entire NBA is raving about Rose. You don't think a superstar would want to play with Rose? Making the playoffs won't mean a thing to prospective FAs as long as they see quality players around them, not to mention one of the biggest markets in the NBA.
I'm sorry Rod, but you don't know what you are talking about all the way from Tenn.
Major setback? That doesn't even begin to describe it. Not that Noah is the end all, be all, but as he showed early in the season, he's a vital cog in making this a playoff club.
And i'm not sure people realize just how important it is for this team to make the playoffs this season, no matter how well they do once they get there. The entire plan for the past two seasons was being able to cash in on a star player in the 2010 free agency class. Unless the Bulls are capable of showing themselves to be a team on the rise, a quality F.A. isn't going to be interested in them, period. And not making the playoffs, is showing themselves to not be anything but a losing team, going nowhere. Not exactly F.A. paradise.
great! bulls listened to me. noah should rest till early april, get him to play 5+ games and as ready as possible for playoffs. bulls will crash whoever they play!
3 weeks. Now we'll find out which of the Bulls pieces(players) are worth keeping for next year. They'll either pull closer together or fall apart. And...look at that schedule coming up. 3 or 4 wins would be MONUMENTAL!
What a test of inner strength!